Hope Beating in Despair's Silence
by MagentaCrystal59
Summary: Being chosen as the Super High School Level/Ultimate Urban Dancer, Rizumu Daiho accepted to enroll in order to look for a new beat in life. However, the moment she stepped foot into Hope's Peak Academy, the tables had been turned and now she's trapped with others in this school for life, unless she gets away scot free with murder...
1. Chapter 1

_**HEY GUYS! :D**_

 _ **Damn, my days have been a rollercoaster. I'm enjoying college a lot, which is a change for me! And I'm doing BTEC work, so I've been a bit active on college stuff lately with a bunch of showcases. And AOT Rping.**_

 _ **BUT I'm getting eager to expand and I've discovered Danganronpa a few weeks ago! I made my OC and now I'm working on this fanfic. I hope you'll all like Rizumu Daiho as we explore her life in the killing game in her POV!**_

 _ **If you still wanna know more about her and want her to join any RPs, you can check her out on my DeviantArt profile.**_

 _ **And if you want to post any art for her, let me know in PM or in the reviews!**_

* * *

There's no denying that you never know what's gonna happen in life and I was thinking that the moment I was standing outside of the most desired academy to go to! I'd think you were crazy if you told me I got a letter of approval to Hope's Peak Academy.

That's what I thought when my posse blew up my mail after playing some DDR and PIU: Dance Dance Revolution and Pump it Up.  
They linked me to a forum and when I checked it out, a lot of known names seem to be going as well.

There's the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Ultimate Baseball Star, Ultimate Gambler, Ultimate Martial Artist heck even the odds like Ultimate Fanfic Creator and Ultimate Clairvoyant are going. The two that stood out for me were the Ultimate Fashionista and Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.

For one, who doesn't know the role model for "every" high school girl. Well, she ain't mine. No offense to her work, but in a time I hope to forget, there were a lot of magazines around my family home of my momma and older sis. Even my little sis had one or two in her own room, but she doesn't overdo it. If my daddy ever saw this, he'd be as confused as me. Probably. Haven't seen him in a while...

But the Ultimate Biker rings a fond bell. He's the leader of The Crazy Diamonds, which are a big name in Japan and makes every game stiffen out of fear and respect. They were highly known for their "Man Promises" and some of my dance friends had or are dating them, with a couple of them being from my team...Guess we'll be crossing paths after all. And also, they hold a lottery to pick out an average person to go to this Academy and titled as the Ultimate Lucky Student. And its gotta be an honour not worth passing up. So whoever's the winner, lucky them as hell!

Sure enough, I got mentioned on this forum as well and it's no shock every street performer and arcade going peep knows me and my dance crew...But they didn't know which teen was going! It was a back and forth guessing of "No! It's this chick!" or "Na-uh! It's gotta be this guy!" And then they guessed me, which turned into a whole new debate. Don't matter since I'm still going anyway.

I'll never forget the night before I set off. My friends all organised a surprise street party in my name! I would've been pissed since I hated not having my own say, but it showed my achievement in the life I picked for myself and the support from all my fellow peeps. What a way to end an old life and start anew.

Looking up at the building I'd never thought I'd enrol in filled me with a lotta determination, more than my first discovery of my talent. New place, new faces, new start. This is a brand new beat I'm eager to dance to! Even though the meeting is at 8, I got time to check it out. So as I opened the door to this school, it looked like I was the first, or they were exploring, so what the hell!

...Definitely what the hell.

The moment I set my foot in Hope's Peak, my mind began swirling around like a whirlwind. My vision was warped and twisted, swirling into a hazy mix. I didn't know what it was, since I couldn't even thing at this point. Was everything...catching up to me? But I couldn't tell because after all that confusion, dizziness and headache I blacked out from it all.

* * *

"Ugh...My head's ringin'. Did I faint or somethin'?" I wondered with a loud groaning noise as I sat up from...a classroom desk, "What the hell? How'd I get here from passin' out?!"  
Looking around, this place was definitely not what I was expecting for the best academy's classroom. Cameras aside, who steels up windows with large bolts and screws? And why am I the only one here? I never sleep even on a boring class, so why here? Why now?!

"Screw it. Questioning with no answer leaves nothin'," I told myself, before stretching my back and arms to get more mobile. After I sat back up, I noticed a little pamphlet resting on the desk I slept on. Opening it up, the first impression I got was that it looked like my little sis's doodles. Cute...But not something I wanna remember. And it had a handwritten message:

 _"Hey there, new kid! The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world."_

"You gotta be kiddin'..." I muttered out. There's nothing else on it. Might as well hold onto it and put it in my...Damnit! My stuff is gone as well! Well my hat and headphones were still on me, at least. I had a backpack with all my mementos from my posse! They could've asked for my permission! I immediately headed out of the classroom afterwards, hoping to come across my...Wow. The coloured lighting reminds me of the lights used for dancers on the street. But enough of that, I gotta find my stuff!...After I meet everyone at the gym.

I love my mementos, but I ain't gonna accuse anyone I don't know yet. I'm sure they're gonna turn up sooner or later. But still...everything in the corridor seemed off. "Despair Hotel?" What is this school playing at? Doors are locked, one of them has keep out tape strapped up and there's a guy over...Wait, there is a guy confused as me!

He seems...ordinary. Kinda harsh, but what the hell. I ain't alone. Could he be the Ultimate Lucky Student? And he's coming to me. May as well greet him like I always do.

"Hey, peep! Did ya get up from a desk? Just askin' since I'm kinda lost with what's goin' on." I asked. He seemed surprised at my sudden upbeat greeting. I better maybe tone it down a bit next-

"Hold on...You woke up in a classroom, too?!" He asked, seeing if he heard me right.

"Yep! Kinda weird you did, too. Even got that kiddie doodle on the desk. Love to chat more but we gotta jam to the meetin'! Sick hoodie by the way! I dig it!" I complimented, before grabbing his hand and running to the gym with him before he could finish his thanks or utter out any protest.

It didn't take us both long to reach to the main hall, but by the time we did...We were greeted by 14 unfamiliar faces. These were with no doubt, the "Ultimates" I recall from the forum. Odd bunch doesn't even pin it to describe them all. The Lucky Student was more surprised than I was, but we were both quickly noticed by the group.

"Whoa, hey! Another two more new kids!" the one with the frizzy afro exclaimed out for the others who didn't see us to now notice us.

"Huh? Then you guys are all...?" the boy with me questioned, but didn't finish it due to it being obvious at this point.

"Yeah...We're all new here. Today's supposed to be our first day of class." an answer coming from a petite looking...girl? It may be just me, but there was something about her that was off to me when she spoke.

"So counting them, that makes sixteen." the chubby boy, who looked like a gopher to me counted, "Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone..."

"For a crowd, the number ain't even enough to be packed..." I admitted, looking around myself, but I shrugged and slapped my hand on the Lucky's back, "What am I kiddin'?! So glad it ain't just two of us. Right, peep?!"

Right...Didn't catch his name while heading here. Well now here's here, it's not gonna pass up. And I was totally honest that I'm glad

"Um...How's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi," The Ultimate Lucky Student introduced himself, "Sorry I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just...asleep."

"Whoa, you guys too?" the afro responded. May as well nick him as Frizz-Fro until I get his name.

"Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser..." the fancy looking girl thought aloud while pondering to that herself.

"So strange...I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed." the gopher added, becoming more disturbed about this coincidence.

"Um...What are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now." Makoto said, being more confused about this.

"None of ya know, too? We all got here on par." I muttered, even I was beginning to get more lost until someone shouted.

"Just a moment! There's something else we must address!" a white uniformed boy was the one and pointed at me and Makoto, "You!Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 a.m sharp! To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you two to the principal, and both of you must accept your due punishment!"

Hearing that shouting tone caused me to react as if on an embedded instinct. Walking away from Makoto I went straight up to him looking almost on the verge of being mad. Almost.  
"What the hell you uptight stiff boarded rule abider! You know nothin' about me, yet your making me do what ya say?! Even in this messed up place?!" I shouted at him. No doubt he was surprised 'cause I can already tell.

"Yeah! What's your problem? it's not like they *wanted* to be late. They didn't have any control over it." a familiar looking face who I recognized as the Ultimate Fashionista defended both me and Makoto.

"Thanks!" I responded sincerely at her, even looking at her when I said it and smirking back at him.

"Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?" a tanned girl with a red tracksuit jacket recommended to the group. Wow, such optimism. She's definitely energetic.

"The hell?! Now's no time for friggin' introductions!"

That voice brought me out of my anger and looked towards the tall teen with an odd looking pompadour. Seriously, even with a bunch of new peeps, its good to have a familiar face, even if they don't know you at first.

"Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here. I mean, how are we supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other's names." the fancy dressed girl supported.

"That's a good point..." the shortest of the group added, also agreeing.

"Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move onto whatever else. Sound good?" the blue haired girl asked.

Seeing no one going away from it I went on board with it also, "A better move than nothin'! Let's get this goin'!"

Because I was the first face to meet, Makoto decided to see me first to get my name. Well, I was saving the first greeting when I got here first but now or never, right?

"Waddup, peep?! Rizumu Daiho greetin' ya and I'm feelin' the BEAT to GREET!"

Yep! That's me! To put it simple I'm the top urban dancer in the country. My team The Graffiti Streakers were the ones with the winning streak in EVERY dance competition we attended. Though I gotta say being labelled as Ult Dancer makes it sound like I can dance to anything. Then again, I've been very aware of different dances and their origin...Still, I'll roll with it!

The next person I went to speak to was Sayaka Maizono, The Ultimate Pop Sensation. I can see why a lotta peeps like her in both looks and voice. I also discovered she has pretty good intuition. Yep, she's a sharp doll.  
Next up is Leon Kuwata, The Ultimate Baseball Star. And he looks like a punk! Seriously I liked the style he was going with! He told me despite being a pro, he hated baseball and decided to follow music the moment he got here. I even offered to be a back up dancer! With my ears, I could find moves that fit to the beat!  
After him I decided to speak to the discipliner, who I know now as The Ultimate Moral Compass Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Don't think I gotta way with punishment, but I apologized saying that unexpected shouting directly at me wasn't good for me. He did compliment on my name of how fitting it was, though to me my name had been...ironic.  
In the corner was Toko Fukawa, The Ultimate Writing Prodigy...insecure doesn't come close. For a romance novelist, she was more hostile than anything, even calling me disgusting. Well, her choice to say it, but I weren't happy.  
Hifumi Yamada, The Ultimate fanfic creator. I don't delve into it much due to dancing, but what ifs and imagines were an interest. Seeing he was a fan of anime, future talk of that subject won't hurt. I dance to songs that were on them.

Looking over to the next group, I decided to speak to the shortest of the group, Chihiro Fujisaki The Ultimate Programmer. I'll admit to myself the peep's adorable. And a programmer, huh? Sweet! If StepMania is known, we could make some routines together! But I'm serious when there's something about...her.  
Kyoko Kirigiri...odd that there's nothing about her and was only willing in giving her name. Probably observing the whole thing around us.  
The Ultimate Swimming Pro, Aoi Asahina greeted me first with such optimism still. Whoa, she's really staying positive about this whole thing. I'm almost losing it. Better catch up. She's also writing my name on her palm to remember me. Wasn't sure if she had to do that.  
After her is Junko Enoshima, The Ultimate Fashionista and...she has freckles? Wow...Seriously! I don't remember her having them. She then told me how pics were photo shopped and altered. How harsh are they? Girls with frecks aren't wrecks. That's what I told her and she seemed surprised and grateful at the same time.

And standing nearby was...him. Funny since I was expecting someone else for some reason but...he definitely looked familiar. Heck, how am I gonna approach him? It's not that I fear the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, but I still gotta see him. Not even a few steps we ended up facing each other.

"Name's Mondo Owada. Nice to fuckin' meetcha." he greeted, but not looking at me. Must've greeted everyone the same way...

"Ha ha! The Diamond in the rough himself! Waddup! Name's Rizumu Daiho. Nice to meetcha to greetcha!" I responded back, and he honestly looked a little taken aback by my greeting. Damn...say something about the streets. We gotta be on the same beat there! "Never knew another street roller was gonna hang here. Even in the dance alley, your gang's gets thrown around."

"Hell yeah it does! Say...now that I think about it, your gang gets thrown around a lot. Didn't your chicks go out with some of my dudes?" Mondo questioned, as if trying to recall something.

For some reason, I got all serious with him when called my group as a gang. Not a good thing when ya get mistaken as trouble, so I told him, "Callin' Graffiti Streakers a gang's like callin' your rival brawls stage fightin'. I go with posse or crew. They got free will to even date your peeps, but dancin' is our core. So don't con first and pro later...Right, "Pomp"?"

Shit. Just figured I went a little too far when Mondo took my nickname to him from his hair seriously and looked like he was going to punch me. Guess I have changed a lot since then if he was gonna do that.  
"What did ya call me? You gotta death wish or somethin' for fuckin' with my hair you piece of-" he almost swore and made a move towards me before Kiyotaka shouted aloud at us.

"Stop that! This no time for commencing rivalries in a school environment! If both of you rebels continue to disrupt the introductions, your punishments will be extended!" he yelled.

"Geez. Ult Moral Compass is an Ult buzzkill..." I muttered out to Mondo, "Guess we gotta settle this later. Gotta jam!"

And without another word, I moved to the other group. Well, that was close. I was kinda glad Kiyotaka stopped us. But I think I made a rift between me and Mondo.

Well, better get back to introductions. Sakura Ogami, The Ultimate Martial Artist. She was pretty tall. Probably no doubt the tallest before Mondo, if you don't count Frizz-Fro's hair. Cruel how peeps called her "Ogre". If anything "Giantess" is better in my eyes.  
Next was Byakuya Togami and it was pretty clear from The Ultimate Affluent Progeny we were never gonna dance the same beat. Being a rich heir and him looking down a street kid like me. Well if he wants to be a spoiled kid, his choice.  
Then there was Frizz-Fro, Yasuhiro Hagakure. Seemed like a chill laidback peep to keep my impressions of the last guy out of the way. And then I found out he's the Ultimate Clairvoyant...Really? I don't care much about fortune telling's and stuff. I control my own fate! If I left it to chance, I wouldn't be The Ultimate Dancer! And he's 21...Starting to thing the system's flawed.  
And finally there's Celestia Ludenburg, the Ultimate Gambler. Known infamously as the Queen of Liars. Her name's gotta be made up. But if she wants to lead that life she better not regret.

Well, that's every peep. Even as Ultimates, they all have their own thing. Despite my impressions, I'm gonna look forward to this new semester!

"Okay, time to get down to business," Byakuya announced, "This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons."

"Oh. That's true." said Makoto, "I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?"

"Well, you see..." Sayaka spoke up, "Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were "just asleep," right? Well...The same is true for all of us."

"What?! Seriously?!" he exclaimed, showing genuine surprise.

"Just after each of us got into the main hall, we lost consciousness. And when we came to, we were somewhere here in the school! That's what happened with you guys, right?" Leon added, looking at me and Makoto.

"Yep. Even had that kiddie doodle on my desk..." I confirmed, even wafting it about, "I'm tossin' this in the trash once we get this over with..."

"B-But that's just...weird! That every one of us would get knocked out like that..." Makoto answered.

"Exactly!" yelled Mondo, "That's why we're all freaking out!"

"And that's not the only thing."added Kiyotaka, "You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right? But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What's that about?!"

"This whole things gettin' crazier. If they're doing a flashy intro for us, why steel up windows? They never even digged them out! Where's my gloves and spray paint?!" I exclaimed, even those were gone as well along with my backpack.

"Don't even think about conducting vandalizing, Rizumu Daiho!" Kiyotaka objected.

Like on instinct I turned around to shout bac at him, "Oh screw you, Kiyobider! Even if I wanna, my stuff's all gone!"

"Yeah! Even my stuff's missing, like my cellphone..." Junko added.

"Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen my PDA anywhere, either..." replied Chihiro. Damn I almost forgot she was there. Hope I didn't scare the peep.

"And then there's the main hall here. The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here...!" Kiyotaka pointed out, "What the heck?! What's it doing here?!"

"Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know...crime or something?" Junko randomly guessed.

"What, like...a kidnapping?" figured Leon, "You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually at school?"

Kidnapping? That sounds far-fetched...But if that's true, how the hell did they get Mondo and Sakura?

"Come on, don't think like that. Cheer up! I bet this is part of the school's orientation procedure. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a little bit." Yasuhiro reassured. But I'm not buying it.

"Oh..." responded Chihiro, looking relieved, "So you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?"

I'm taking it back now, y'all. I'm convinced its just that.

"Huh. Well, if that's all it is, it's nap time for me. I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye." Leon spoke up, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

I couldn't help but laugh a little while I was leaning on the hatch "I gettin that feelin', Leo! I'm almost beat after that street party my team gave me. Damn, that night was passion!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist in the air out of nostalgia. Even though it was only hours ago...

Well, the tense situation was dying down a little and everyone seemed more relaxed. However, we were startled back by the ringing of a bell and one of the monitors in the main hall lit up. It began all fuzzy, but a dark figure managed to make shape out of all the buzzing. But we still had no idea who it was. Then it began to speak.

 _"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...! Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience...That's all. I'll be waiting!"_

And I thought things were lookin' up. That tone the announcer made just killed the beat we had going...

"...What. The. Hell was that just now?" Junko questioned, breaking our complete silence from what we heard.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me..." was Byakuya's words to what happened just now, before he began moving to the gymnasium.

"H-Hey! What, you're gonna take off just like that?!" she exclaimed towards him.

"Ohh yeah, now I get it! This whole thing was to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony! Man, thank god it was all a joke. I'd be totally freaked if this was real!" Yasuhiro laughed. I take back again. Not buying it. And he's a dunce, "Alright, guess I'll head out, too. Wonder what they got planned for us next..."

Not gonna get his nap anytime soon, Leon huffed out and followed on in, "Damn," he groaned, "I was totally looking forward to that nap, too. Why'd they have to go and kill the mood?"

"W-Wait for me! I wanna go with you!" Chihiro called out, running after the others.

"That is that, then. I will see you all there." Celestia said, gracefully walking away to her destination.

"N-Not that anyone cares, but I-I'm gonna go, too." Toko added, before trailing behind.

I've would've gone ahead, but hell if I weren't aware of danger. Even on streets and wherever urban I knew the cons right off the bat. So I wasn't gonna walk in blindly. And thank god I'm not the only one as some of us didn't leave just yet.

"This...This doesn't seem right." admitted Sayaka, seeming nervous about the whole thing.

"Yeah," Junko added, "That announcement was totally weird."

Then Kyoko, who was silent the whole time finally spoke, "Maybe. But staying put doesn't mean we'll be safe. Besides, aren't you guys just a little bit curious to find out what's going on around here?"

"If we do not move forward, we learn nothing. The only choice is to push ahead." stated Sakura, with words of wisdom.

"Yep! Movin' forward's what we gotta do. Stayin' still will let it creep up on ya again. And I ain't stayin' still any longer! Catch ya in the gym, peeps!" I concluded, making a three fingered peace sign as I made my way out of the main hall and into the gym!

But it wasn't the complete entrance to the gym. There was an entryway with a trophy display case with it. Being the Ultimate School, this Academy must have a ton of trophies an this was just a fraction of them. I guess I lingered there a bit longer since the rest who were at the main hall came in.

"God, I had no idea this Hope's Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls." Mondo replied, getting irritated every second, "It really ain't that much different from the time I spent in juvie. Hell, this place is even worse!"

"And why isn't there anyone here? Walking through the halls, I didn't see a single person..." Sayaka pointed out.

"Isn't that like, seriously not good?" asked Junko.

"Beyond that if ya ask me. Guess we are cattle or somethin', 'cause this crap's mega insane!" I answered, beginning to feel unease in this.

"Th-They're just trying to spook us! They'll take those metal plates down later, I'm sure of it..." assured Kiyotaka, but to me he seemed creeped out.

"All we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." replied Sakura.

Wow, Giantess has a thing for proverbs. We gotta get to know each other!

"Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's get this over with!" Mondo urged, before running off to find the cause, "Hey! Where's whoever called us here?!"

"Hey, quit yelling so loud, Pomp! And I'm gonna get a say to who's at this!" I retorted, running after him to the door with Kiyotaka following after to tell us to not run. Kiyobider's so uptight.

When we got into the gymnasium...It really was just like a normal ceremony. But too normal for me to fully agree with Frizz-Fro. Why do I have that feeling something's not right...? It didn't take long to figure that out when a familiar voice rung out.

"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!"

Every student turned their attention to the stage of the gymnasium as someone seemed to be making an appearance. and that someone was...

"Huh? A...teddy bear?"

* * *

 _ **And that's the prologue and first chapter done! Chapters 2 and 3 are up, but for now, they're on my DeviantArt page and AO3 site! Don't worry! I'll get them over here!**_

 _ **Don't forget to fav and review and I'll see you all later! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

There's no denying that everyone was just as confused as Chihiro when they saw the white/black bear spring up onto the podium. I was just as...and disappointed.

'So much for a flashy intro. A split faced Tedbot? You're kiddin'!' I thought.

"I am not a teddy bear!" it spoke out, "I... am...Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster! Nice to meet you all!"

He seems so upbeat and cheery...Yeah there's me and Aoi, but his was completely missing the beat. This school is full of Ultimates like me but this was insane if that bear runs this place!

"Wh- Whaaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"C-Calm down! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it." assured Kiyotaka.

The bear became irritated at the fact he was referred to a toy again, "I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear..." it then repeated loudly, with its hands in the air, "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"

"Waaaaah! It moved!" Hifumi yelled out of fright. Seriously, he must be too into 2D if that freaked him this much out.  
"Seriously man, calm down! It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'" said Mondo.

"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench..." Monokuma pouted, looking sad.

"Well, what ya gotta say that makes you differ, Tedbot?" I questioned the bear.

"My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it!" it boasted, "Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!"

"...Really?" I just huffed out at the reaction of his pun. Never mind what was said before.

"Indeed "Really". You are...unfortunate," added Celestia.

"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started..." said Monokuma.

"Giving up already? No other stupid bear puns?" Junko questioned.

"Quiet down now, quiet down. Ah, okay, so...!"

"He has abandoned the gag..." Sakura stated.

Great. Even though I allow people to say what they say, puns from him are gonna tick me off a little.

"Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!" Monokuma announced.

"Good morning!" Taka shouted as he and only he alone followed that instruction.

"Y-You don't have to s-say it back..." Toko stuttered.

"Don't bother. He was gonna do so anyway..." I muttered over to her.

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!" Monokuma continued, "First, let's talk about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake-you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope...you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school."

Well, that's different. This is beginning to turn out like a College or Uni. So it ain't gonna be so bad.

"Ah, now then...regarding the end date for this communal life...There isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."

Okay...now that's totally different and it's gonna be so bad!

"Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die...?" clarified Toko?

"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack all the common conveniences." reassured Monokuma.

"That's the least of our worries right now!" exclaimed Sayaka.

"Yeah, what the hell? You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?" Junko questioned.

"I am not screwingwith you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure," answered Monokuma with what seemed to be serious, "Ah, and just for your information...you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"Cut off...? So all those metal plates all over the school...They're there to keep us trapped in here?" Makoto guessed, referring to the steeled windows with large screws holding them in place.

"That's exactly what they're there for," the robot bear answered, "No matter how much you may yell and scream for help...help will not come. So with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life with reckless abandon."

"Come on, what the hell is this?" questioned Leon, "I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."

"Are ya gaggin' with us again, Tedbot?!" I accused, finding all this to be crazy, "'cause all I hear from ya is a bunch of crap!"

"Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn't funny anymore!" Mondo supported...actually supporting me.

"You keep saying this is a lie, a gag, or a joke. A bunch of sceptics, all of you. But I guess you can't be helped, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbour..." Monokuma shrugged, "Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

"Having to live here forever would be...quite the problem, " Celestia spoke, touching both hands to her heart.

"Come, now. What's the matter with all of you?" it asked us, "You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?"

"Nothin' was mentioned about bein' sealed for life when we got invited until now, Tedbot! Like...We had no say in that!" I shouted, letting my anger show on that topic. Not having a say in things, no matter what they are will always tick me off. Even beyond that.

"Tedbot? Is that the best you can come up for me? You street rats must be so short minded and outcast if you can't even bother to stick to real names." Monokuma responded to me.

I didn't get fully enraged, but I was annoyed at what he said. I ain't a bad apple that spoils the bunch. And I taught the world that.

"So there's no loophole or nothin'? Ya being that serious?" I pressed on, seeing if he's hiding something.

"Well, if you're really that desperate...I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There *is* one way for you to leave this school..." Monokuma revealed.

"R-Really...?" said Toko, beginning to look a little relieved but still introverted.

"As Headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it...The Graduation Clause! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone will be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!" explained Monokuma.

"What do you mean by, "disrupt the harmony"?" Byakuya asked.

I admit, there's gotta be a catch. A single slap or punch ain't gonna cover it...

"Puhuhuhu..." the bear giggled an a disturbing way, "Well, you know...If one person were to **_murder_** another."

"M-Murder?!" Makoto exclaimed, taken aback by this revelation.

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter," Monokuma listed the methods, " ** _You must kill someone if you want to leave._** It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."

Rotting in this school and not living life or Killing a peep and you will be free...? What kinda graduation is this?! I may have grown in urban surroundings and became streetwise from my time as an urban dancer, but after that...incident...I never threw down since!

"Puhuhu. I bet *that* got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know...Taking that **hope** and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of **despair**. And I just find that so...darn...exciting!" the bear responded, actually getting a thrill out of all of this.

"What the hell are you talking about?! To kill each other is...It's...!" Leon reacted, but can't think of a way to describe it.

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it." Monokuma spoke. If he was hinting at Leon being stupid...I saw it.

"We know what it means, that's not the problem!" Aoi shouted, "Why do we have to kill each other?!"

"Yeah!" added Hifumi, "Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!"

"..Blabbering?"

The way it slowly said that word wasn't good...at all.

"Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering?! Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don't get it, don't you? "Let us go, let us go!" You keep saying the same thing over and over and over and over...! Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as ya wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!" screamed Monokuma.

"Hell no! Ya really think that tantrum's gonna make us-!"

"Alright, come on... How long you gonna keep this up?" Yasuhiro interrupted me, not being phased by any of this.

In fact he was still the same as before.

"Eh?" responded Monokuma in confusion.

"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now." he replied.

"What the-?! Frizz-Fro! How slow are ya?!" I exclaimed. No doubt everyone thought similar, even Monokuma must be thinking that in his system.

"Reveal the trick...?" the bear repeated, looking just as puzzled.

"Yeah, cuz I mean... Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like..."

"Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way."

This time it was Mondo who interrupted Yasuhiro, pushing him out of the way so he was in front of Monokuma.

"Listen up, asshole! This shit's gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this?" he demanded in a rumbling voice that rivalled thunder.

"Joke? What, you mean like your hair?"

Good thing I kept my words and actions mentally for that moment because...SHOTS FIRED! (With my hands as shooting pistols included). But I was brought back to reality by the sound of "FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-!" ringing my ears with a sudden BOOM!. What was thunder then came lightning because Mondo kicked his feet off the floorboards and launched himself into the air. Like the speed of a bullet, he lunged at Monokuma and grabbed him, pulling him up off the floor.

"Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I don't know if you're a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to fuckin' shreds!" he threatened.

"Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!" Monokuma cried out, waving his arms...paws in the air.

"Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ..."

A beeping sound was suddenly heard throughout the gym, which made everyone confused. Well other than Mondo, who was still letting out his anger at the robot bear.

"What, no smartass comeback this time?!" he pressured, but Monokuma stayed silent and the beeping went faster, "Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!"

"Watch out! Get rid of it!" Kyoko warned, as if she knew what that thing was.

And it dawned on me, too.

"Huh...?" Mondo responded in confusion.

"Hurry up and throw it!" she and I exclaimed at the same time.

Without a second thought, Mondo tossed Monokuma away from him and into the air. And it was perfect timing, too because the robotic teddy bear exploded. The force of the explosion almost knocking everyone, even me, off their feet.

"The hell?!" he gasped out, "Th-That sure as shit wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up..."

I was just as shocked as he was. Not from the explosion, but the fact he actually would've died if he didn't throw it away. This to me was no doubt serious!

"But you know...This means that teddy bear has been destroyed, right?" Chihiro pointed out.

True...But I had a hunch it wasn't that simple, even as my ears began to ring from the explosion. And god damnit was I right...

"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!"

As if from out of nowhere, another robot bear that looked exactly the same as the one that exploded popped up.

"Uwah!" exclaimed Leon, "There's another one...?"

"You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!" Mondo growled out.

"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all," answered Monokuma, unsheathing it's claws, "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl won't get off with just a little swat on the but."

"H-Hey...So does this mean there's like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?" questioned Junko.

"Monokumas have been placed all over the school, yes. Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you're caught breaking any rules, well...you all just saw what happened, right? Puhuhu...And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!" it warned.

"Th-That's not even punishment. That's just...wrong..." Aoi uttered out.

"Now then, lastly...To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you..." Monokuma announced, before pulling out 16 of the same thing for us, "Tada! This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it...The e-Handbook!"

...That's a lack of a better name when all there's no response.

"Ahem. Yes, well, moving on...This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to it's space age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our **_school regulations_** , so make sure you review them thoroughly! You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules are strict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same applies here! Which is why it's crucial to have strict punishments in place for violators. Okay, well...that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...See ya!" it concluded.

And as it appeared from nowhere it disappeared to nowhere. We were all left in a state of shock and time to take in what Monokuma said to us.

"So, guys... How would you define what we just experienced?" Kiyotaka asked us all, which broke the silence that was left.

"How...? Why...? I don't understand any of this..." Leon uttered, still in total shock and confusion.

"We have to l-live here forever...? Or...k-kill? Wh-What...? What just happened?!" cried Toko.

"Damn...This is insanity! Pomp, ya nearly had a dance with death! Ya doin' okay?!" I asked walked over to Mondo.

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm good. Shit..." he answered back, trying to compose himself.

"Everyone, we need to just calm down." Kyoko spoke out, more calm than the others, "First, let's take a second to summarize everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices. Choice number one is that we stay here, living a "communal life" together until the day we die. And the other choice is..."

"If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?" Celestia finished.

"But...killing someone...That's..." Chihiro spoke timidly, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school. And now we're supposed to start killing each other? This is...This is...This is just...What IS this?!" squealed Hifumi.

"A lie, is what it is. All these ridiculous things we've heard... This all has to be fake!" Kiyotaka denied.

"A peep almost died Kiyobider! How serious do ya wanna get?!" I exclaimed over to him with seriousness.

"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matters is...Is there anyone who's seriously considering all this...?" Byakuya asked.

To which none of us had a response to that question. We all began to look at one another with a hostility almost having its own beat. I definitely wasn't gonna consider it, but only myself knew that. What about the others? Even if I told so out loud, it could pass off as a lie. And the same could be said to the others, too. The lingering question of **_"Who is gonna betray us?"_** starts lingering in everyone's mind.

This school "Hope's Peak Academy." isn't a school of hope, as there was no beat of happiness that could be heard. Instead I got imprisoned in a school of hostility, a school of calculating silence. A school of Despair.


	3. Chapter 3

For a good while, none of us had anything to say. We just stayed in one spot, glaring at one another and observing each and every move like who was gonna jump on us and the suspense was...inflicting me! ...Okay, I can't take this anymore! And It was perfect timing because Kyoko managed to break the silence.

"So? What are you going to do now?" she asked us, "Just stand around and glare at each other?"

"Yeah...Yeah! Standing around ain't gonna prove anything! Come on, peeps! We're off on a melancholy start, but we gotta get into action! Keep the beat rollin'! No time for gloomin'!" I encouraged, raising my spirits high to get everyone out of their gloom.

"T-They're right! They're absolutely right! Sometimes, even if you're nervous or afraid, you just have to step forward!" Kiyotaka supported, but then started to shame himself, "To forget such a simple act...I can't forgive myself. I'm so ashamed! Please, someone hit me! I can't forgive myself! Somebody hit me! Punish me!"

And that's what I did. I swiped him with a closed fist on the back of Kiyotaka's head. It must of hurt because he looked at me completely stunned and rubbing the back of his head.

"What? Ya asked for it! And I told ya before: No time for gloomin'! So don't go blamin' yourself, okay?" I responded.

"Jesus, man. If you have time to yell about it, then you have time to DO somethin' about it." Mondo muttered, looking away from Kiyotaka, but took a glance in my direction.

"Perhaps, but...what is the mission, exactly?" asked Hifumi.

"Idiot! To look for a way out, duh!" Leon answered.

"And we totally need to find whoever was controlling that stupid bear and beat the hell out of 'em." added Junko, angrily

When Junko said that, I actually let out a whistle, "Wow, Junko. Goin' beyond ya level! Thought you were gonna slap, scratch or step on 'em with ya heels!" I complimented.

"Huh? Well, I'm totally gonna like do that too!" she reacted and... I could've sworn she looked a little trouble for a second and I was about to respond when Chihiro shyly piped up.

"B-But before we do that, maybe we should take a look at the handbook...It's probably best to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before doing anything else." Chihiro recommended.

"True. If we stumble around with no clue what the rules are, something like that might happen again..." Celestia mentioned, referring back to Mondo's near death.

"Shit..." said person growled out.

"Fine. Then let's hurry up and check out the stupid rules already." Junko accepted, already opening her handbook.

Along with everyone else I did the same with mine. Let's see what we've got...

 _ **Rizumu Itokinuyo**_

Okay...It's official that I HATE THAT FUCKING BEAR SO MUCH! Of the two names I had in my life, it chose the one I didn't wanna be associated with again! It must be true that it's tough as hell because my fingers were already attempting to dig into the handbook, like it was trying to scratch away that last name. But if one of the rules about wrecking a handbook is on there I'll be breaking a rule without knowing it. So with that in mind, I tapped onto the School Regulations. That problem will be sorted later.

So these are the rules:

 ** _1\. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time._**

No shit. We can't even go out on campus since we're trapped here.

 ** _2\. "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m to 7 a.m. Some areas are off limits at night, so please exercise caution._**

Seriously?! 9 hours of night?! 7 or 6 is enough for me! Guess I gotta do a new routine...

 ** _3\. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.  
_**  
Damn...Hope nobody here has Narcolepsy.

 ** _4\. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy to your discretion._**

Great! Nice to get to know more of the school inside!

 ** _5\. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras._**

Well, that was made crystal clear thanks to Mondo. And that bearbot's got our eyes on us...

 ** _6\. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered._**

So what's gonna happen if we find that out? Guess there's more he left for later.

 ** _7\. Additional school regulations may be added as necessary._**

Yep. Called it. There's gonna be more.

Well, that's it for now and so much for raising spirits because I felt like a storm's looming over me. And from the other's faces, I ain't the only one.

"This is bullshit! What the hell kinda rules are these?! I'm not gonna let them control ME!" Mondo shouted, already objecting to those rules.

"Well then, why don't you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens?" Celestia dared, "Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules."

"But if he got punished like what we saw before, I don't think there'd be a respawn waiting for him..." added Hifumi.

"Gothlita and Ballooni's gotta point, Pomp. It ain't like any DT bein' stuck in a room. Ya life's in a danger zone here like it is in ya gang. No use in bein' reckless, peep." I told him.

"Gothlita? You have...a peculiar taste in nicknames, Rizumu." Celestia responded.

"But why call me...Ballooni? That doesn't sound very nice for a nickname..." pouted Hifumi.

Seeing him a little hurt, I felt a little awkward and rubbed the back of my head with my hand, "Crap...Sorry, peep. I stick with nicknames when I meet new faces until otherwise. Plus your one's too long for me. I'll think of a better one later, okay?" I apologized, "So Pomp...What's it gonna be?"

Mondo was stunned in silence before recalling something nostalgic, "I...Ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head...When a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him."

"...So what?" Junko asked, a bit confused.

"I've made a ton of promises that I still have to keep. That's "so what"! So I can't afford to die in here!" he explained.

Wow...He really does hold dear to those promises, just like they always do...But it's a first I heard that advice from one, let alone their leader himself. If that's really what a man does...I'm gonna believe him on that.

"None of that made sense to me, but you are saying that you will follow the regulations, is that it?" Celestia guessed.

"Huh? Oh, well...yeah, I guess you're right." Mondo answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, um...I have a question," Sayaya spoke out, "For regulation number six...what do you think it means exactly?"

 ** _(6. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.)_**

"You're talking about the second half, right? Where it says, "unless they're discovered"? I was wondering about that myself," admitted Makoto, voicing his confusion on that rule.

"It's saying that if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you." Byakuya answered.

"B-But why...? Why do we h-have to do that?" wondered Toko.

"I don't see any reason to worry about it. Just worry about following the rules as they've been explained to us. Frankly, I don't want to hear anything from someone who waits for others to decide what to do for them." he continued, jabbing his finger at the novelist.

"D-Don't jab at me..." Toko responded, but she had this wide smirk and a blushing face.

"More like a full-on stab..." Leon muttered over to me.

"No kiddin'...that jackass actually got her." I replied, "But it's not our prob, Leo."

"Well for now, let's forget all that silly junk about murderers or whatever. Now that we know the rules, let's start exploring the school!" Aoi said with determination.

"True. We need to find out where exactly we are. Is there any way out? What about food and supplies? There are tons of questions we need to answer!" Kiyotaka exclaimed.

"Damn straight! Okay, then let's all start looking around!" shouted Leon.

"Alright! Where shall we go first?! Other than outta here! Hahahahaha!" I laughed, getting really excited.

"...I'll be going alone."

Damn, dude. Way to kill the mood... Rich prick.

"What?! Why? That's a pretty stupid idea, don't you think?" Junko said to Byakuya.

"Someone here might already have started thinking about murdering one of us," he answered, "Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?"

"W-Wait, hold on a second. That would never-!" Sayaka started.

"Don't bother saying it couldn't happen." he interrupted her, "You can't deny the possibility. That's why you all seized up with fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you. Am I wrong?"

"Gh-!" I couldn't help but let that sound escape my mouth. Even if I didn't wanted that with his smug look on his face...

"B-But..." Sayaka couldn't say more against that.

"So, I'm simply acting in accordance to what I think is best for me." Byakuya finished, making his way to the door alone.

"...Your choice. But ya gonna be first on suspect list if ya go solo out that door." I cautioned.

Mondo saw differently, however. I saw him running in front of Byakuya, in front of his direction.

"Hold on! Like hell I'm gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!" Mondo shouted, getting in his way.

"Out of my way, plankton." Byakuya responded, sternly.

"Wh-?! What the fuck's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded.

"This ain't gonna go well..." I mumbled while Byakuya pressed on.

"One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So miniscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean." he mocked.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Mondo yelled, extremely pissed off at the Affluent Progeny.

Then Makoto tried doing something about it and tried to stop the two.

"S-Stop it! We shouldn't fight!" Makoto persuaded, which...ended up backfiring when Mondo turned on him.

"The fuck you just say? You some kinda goody-goody little bitch? Who do you think you are talkin' to me like that? You think you're my fuckin' dad or somethin'?!" Mondo pressured.

"N-No, I wasn't-" stuttered Makoto.

"Fuck you!"

Raising his fist, Mondo punched Makoto in the face and he flew back in a heap. Makoto's body flew high up in the air before it came crashing down. The majority of us were in awe, other than Byakuya who was making an "I'm right and this is proving my point" face. The Lucky student ended up hitting the wall of the gym and made no attempt of getting back up.

"Makoto!" Sayaka cried out, running over to his form. Most of the classmates did, other than the ones like Byakuya, who went ahead to explore. And I didn't move because I was standing right by Mondo, hoping the worst didn't happen.

"He's not...is he?" Leon asked, imply something we didn't want to happen.

"...He's just knocked out. Thank goodness!" Sayaka stated, holding her heart in relief.

Damn, he really was lucky if he survived a punch from Mondo. Speaking of which I grabbed the Biker Gang Leader by the coat.

"What the hell, Pomp! Ya coulda killed him just then!" I yelled.

"Sorry, man! I didn't mean to knock his ass down on the ground!" Mondo answered honestly.

I looked at him dead on in his eyes to see his sincerity. As well as the fact he had very nice light violet eyes and his eyeliner made them stand out...Damnit Rizumu! Don't go Tango!

"Well...Now we have another problem. Who's going to carry Makoto a place he can rest?" Aoi asked the class, "We can't leave him here until he wakes up...it's against regulation three of the school rules."

"...I'll carry him. It's my fault, so I gotta do it." Mondo volunteered. He was already with the others by then. Guess I got carried away...

"W-Wait! I'll go with you, too!" Sayaka volunteered. And there wasn't any objection as Mondo picked him up and Sayaka followed him.

"Okay! We now have one problem solved! Now we need to organise ourselves in groups to investigate the environment of this school! So let's begin!" Taka announced.

* * *

We spent the entire day looking everywhere around the first floor of the school that became our prison. At some point, I ended up with Junko and Chihiro to check out one of our rooms, which happened to be mine.

AND DAMN WAS MY MINI CRIB DECKED OUT!

There was the simple desk, table and bed but there was also loud speakers, a set to play both DDR and PIU, a wide open space to dance, a switch to put on a few moving lights in the dark and a bunch of posters and banners with spray paint to represent the Graffiti Streakers. And there's my bag full of stuff! Finally! I can stick some beats on!

I had a look further throughout the desk while Junko looked at a note on the wall and inside what I found was...

A sewing kit.

Damnit, Monokuma! Your adding salt in the wound and fuel to the fire! What's next? A puffy dress, or a-

"Hey, Rizumu? Are you okay? You're beginning to like, burn up." Junko asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just the beat of this whole thing's gettin' me up and down..." I answered, quickly shutting the drawer and getting back on my feet, "But look at my place! Guess we know who's gonna be hostin' the parties!"

"You know? I just don't get it. How can someone like you who dances in an alley managed to like get a chance to go here?" she asked.

"Frecks, ya make it sound like the streets got a bad rep. Don't tell me you're one of 'em." I hoped, because I was beginning to see The Ultimate Fashionista differently until then.

"Huh? Well... I'd rather live a hobo life than be stuck in this place! I've done it before, ya know." she admitted.

"Seriously?!" I exclaimed in surprise, "Well, sleepin' in a corner ain't good, I'll give ya that. But don't go ahead and diss the streets 'cause of ya days being homeless! It ain't that bad!"

"Yeah, well maybe for you! But homelessness is totally dangerous! You never know when a pack of wild animals might show up!" She said back to me.

"Look, Frecks...I get what ya sayin'. Trust me on that. I got lucky because of my talent..."

"Exactly! All you do is do your thing and those freaks don't lay their hands on you!" she interrupted me.

"But I didn't start unscathed either! That's how I-" I retorted, almost about to let something slip but Chihiro showed up and when she saw our faces when we looked at each other, she saw the tension.

"I-Is there something wrong? I can leave if you want..." Chihiro started, but I immediately started to assure her when she looked sad.

"No! Don't Chibiro! Me and Frecks had are at odds on something...personal." I explained, "Don't blame yourself."

"R-Really? But...I didn't hear anything when the door was closed." she revealed, pondering on that a little.

"So...you totally didn't hear anything we just said when the door was shut?" questioned Junko, to which the programmer shook her head.

So that means the rooms, at least mine is soundproof...Wicked!

"...Well, this is gonna work for a fun time from the get go! I could blast these speakers up to the max and the beat's just gonna stay in one room!" I cheered.

"That does sound fun...But don't you think we should continue to explore, first?" Chihiro mentioned, getting me back into reality.

"Oh! Haha...Yeah, that beat's still goin'." I responded, rubbing the back of my head, "Well, I'm gonna go see how the other team members are. Catcha later, peeps!"

As I exited my room, taking the key with me, I had a look around Despair Hotel. There was a laundry room next door to the bath house and it contained everything you'd see at the launderette like washing machines/dryers, baskets hangers, etc. So even if we stay in our clothes throughout, at least our clothes will get treatment. The next up was the bathhouse, which was next to each other and...I couldn't get in. For some reason there was yellow "keep out" tape covering the entrance. Why would Monkuma restrict the bathhouse? Well, the only other place to go aside from the gates to Hope's Peak Academy in this Despair Hotel was the cafeteria. So I decided to have a look around there. It was still empty and the meeting isn't happening yet, but it's still better to look around.

From within the kitchen, I could see someone inside scuffling around and noticed it was Sayaka checking out the kitchen. So like any good person, I went ahead to greet her.

 ** _"Sa! Sa! Sayaka!"_** I called out to her in an upbeat tone, which startled her a little since she was leaning down to look inside the fridge.

"Oh, Rizumu! You almost frightened me..." Sayaka answered, "I thought you went looking around the school with Junko and Chihiro..."

"I did. Had a chance to check out my room. Seriously, my room is killer! Not literally. But the cam in my bedroom's a total bummer! Bet everyone has 'em. Came across two other rooms, but I thought I'd check out this place. Need energy to keep up the feelin' y'know?!" I explained, "So, uh...How are things on your end, Bluebird?"

"Well, um...So far I couldn't find a way out...But at least we won't have to worry about food," she confided, with a soft giggle.

"Yep! If we don't look after ourselves, gettin' out of here's gonna be a waste!...Wow. Look at all the grub. Looks pretty fresh, too!" I complimented, seeing all the fruits and vegetables out in front of us.

"Yes and from the looks of it, there's more than enough to feed all of us. But...That's the problem. What if it begins to rot?" Sayaka questioned, "I don't it'll taste as good as before..."

"No need to worry about that!"

Oh geez...

From out of nowhere, Monokuma popped out of nowhere to startle us and we nearly ended up on one another on the ground.

"Do you really think I would kick off the first day of semester by having you worry over something as food quality. You teens can be so vain over the teeny tiny things at this day and age! Puhuhuhu!" it giggled.

"So what are ya gettin' at, Stuffy?" I asked.

"Oh come on! Can't you just give me a little civility to your headmaster? But instead you decide to call me Stuffy?...Am I touching a nerve, Rizumu?" Monakuma guessed.

"Damn straight ya are!" I yelled at it.

"Um...Is there something you wanted to tell us about the kitchen?" Sayaka asked, changing the subject back.

"Yes, well...Since the school has an abundant budget, you don't need to worry about your munch cravings," explained Monokuma, "All the food gets restocked daily, depending how much you all pig out. So you kids can satisfy your eating disorders however you like. I don't care!"

Okay, that's harsh. But hell, at least we know something.

"That it?" I bluntly asked.

"Yep! That's all! Enjoy your little investigation! Even though you can't grasp the means of that there is no way out, like there is no way in now. No way in! No way out! Unless you take the chance and become..."blackened". Bye Bye!" it finished and disappeared again.

"Damn, screw that bear...killin' the beat." I muttered out.

Sayaka was looking upset when I turned back to her. She got me out of my anger by changing the subject, so I better do the same.

"Hey, Bluebird? You want to go check on Lucky?" I suggested for her.

"Makoto?" she guessed without a second thought. Must have good intuition like she said or with him being average looking it was obvious.

"It's gettin' close to the time of the meetin'. Plus ya have time to catch up if he's risen." I added.

"Of course! I'm sure he's woken up by now. I'll see you at the meeting, Rizumu!" Sayaka accepted, heading over to the dorms to see if Makoto really has awakened.

While I'm at it, I'm gonna get something to eat. After all, I haven't eaten a thing since I got stuck in this mess. Searching through the fridge, I found some grapes, bananas...Damn. Bluebird wasn't kidding! There's tons of stuff! Well, I better get something down me before I meet up with everyone else.


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay! It looks like everyone's here. Time to start the meeting! Let's all go around and share what we found during our respective investigations! The sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner we get out of here!" Kiyotaka announced from inside the dining hall.

Well I've been here a little too long. Guess I better get inside the hall in case they think I'm planning something. After he was finishing that last sentence I stepped out of the kitchen into the dining hall.

"Waddup, peeps!" I announced, getting everyone's attention and I can see Makoto sitting right next to Mondo, who has his feet on the table.

"Rizumu! Where have you been?! We were about to start the meeting without you! Explain your absence!" Kiyotaka demanded, pointing right at me.

"I was doing what all you peeps were doin'. And I was already in the room with Bluebird and Lucky!" I retorted, while pointing at Sayaka and Makoto, "Geez, the Kitch is only next door and there's an openin' at the side and you still call that absence?! Cut me some slack, Buzzkill!"

I ended up taking a seat in between Mondo, with his feet resting on the table, and Junko, who had her arms folded. Speaking of which, she looked around and noticed something.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" she spoke up.

"What's wrong?!" Kiyotaka asked, but shouted it out.

"What about, uh...what's her name? You know the silver-haired girl..." she wondered.

"I know who you mean...what's Clue's real name again..." I added, then suddenly snapped my fingers as it came to me, "Kyoko!...But what about her, Frecks?"

"She's not here."

After looking around again I did not see Kyoko anywhere around the dining hall, not even in the way back.

"I wonder were she went. Has anyone seen her?" Aoi asked, to which everyone shook their heads.

"Wait, so nobody's seen her...?" Chihiro responded, looking a little worried.

"Sorry, Chibi. If I did know where Clue's been I would've answered Ducky's question in a heartbeat." I answered.

"Ducky?" Aoi repeated, knowing that was referring to her.

"Yeah. Like a yellow rubber ducky. Duck's swim. Water on your back ain't bothering ya and you're energetic! If ya hate it, blame the tense situation but-"

"No! That's not it! I actually like having that nickname coming from you. Hehe! Thanks!" Aoi thanked me.

"Wicked! Now let's get back to the beat...Kyoko's not here. But no negativity!" I said firmly.

"Darn it, Kyoko! You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school?!" Kiyotaka yelled, "Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait..."

"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" said Junko, calling him out.

"Well what do you want me to do?! Punctuality is everything!" Taka reacted, shouting yet again, "Now then, I declare that the first session of Hope's Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!"

Everyone began to speak on what they found, one by one and in groups. The first to speak up was Byakuya.

"I wanted to try and find some clue as to **_who's responsible_** for imprisoning us here...But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me..." he answered.

"Really? That's it?" Kiyotaka asked.

"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn't. So I don't." the Affluent Progeny responded.

"R-Right, understood..."Now, here's what I have to say on my part in the investigation! I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and...There I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!" The Moral Compass revealed.

To which there was a short pause since it was revealed before the investigation due to recent events.

"Well, yeah...I figured that out before anything else..." Aoi spoke.

"For the record, it got known first when Pomp knocked Lucky's light's out 'round 10 hours ago..." I recalled.

"Come on! Do you really have to bring that shit up, Rizumu? I already apologized!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Chillax, Pomp. I heard ya," I assured, looking at him, "The Kitch ain't a mile away."

"Each door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess all the rooms have been assigned already." replied Junko.

"And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name precision-etched onto it." added Sakura.

"Also, the walls are total soundproof. Me, Chibi and Frecks uncovered that." I included, while pointing to Chihiro and Junko.

"Your next door neighbour could scream their lungs out, and you wouldn't hear a thing..." Chihiro added.

"Well, each room also had a private bathroom, which could also lock." Celeste spoke.

"But it looked like there were only locks on the bathrooms in the girl's dorms." Junko revealed.

Well, at least with the private bathroom I'm not too far from a morning shower.

"Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us. They're assuming we're gonna be here for a while..." Mondo simplified.

"Well, better to have than have not! At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals." Kiyotaka responded, looking on the positive side of things.

"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Toko questioned.

"...That's all for my report! Let's move onto whoever's next!" he answered after a short pause.

Damn, first being late before Sayaka, me and Makoto, now this. Hope I didn't cause it. I don't hate Kiyotaka...I just have a bad time with those too uptight. I've had my fair share of that. Next to speak was the group of Leon, Hiro, Junko and Chihiro.

"We went all up and down the school, double checking the windows in all the hallways and the classes. We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off." explained Junko, "And what happened was..."

"Nothing. Not a damn thing. We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit." Leon interrupted, annoyed that their attempt didn't do anything.

"There wasn't any hope of escape anywhere..." Chihiro added, "The school really has been totally cut off."

"This sucks...It *really* sucks! It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS! What the hell are we gonna do?!" Junko exclaims, going into a panic.

"Goddamn, calm down! You're starting to make me nervous!" Leon responds, attempting to shush Junko so he doesn't go into one.

"Yeah, Frecks! Chill! Panic and you'll make it worst. Besides we haven't heard the other peeps yet. Let's hear 'em out." I pointed out. Hopefully, Hina, Sakura and Mondo have found anything.

"We thought maybe we can find some way to communicate with the outside, so we went looking all over!" Hina spoke first from the group, "But...we didn't find a thing. Sorry..."

"I went back to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal. But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn't budge," revealed Mondo, looking pretty pissed about not breaking it, "We hit it with desk and chairs, and nothin'...It was hard as, like...metal."

"Well yes, it *is* metal..." Celeste pointed out the obvious.

"Damn. If Pomp and Giantess left no dent, its gotta be WAY stronger than Titanium. I could hear the clutter carnage you two were makin'! Good thing the rules said nothin' about them being destroyed, yet! Haha!" I laughed in relief, but when I looked around, everyone was staring at me with silence.

"Rizumu...You displayed an astounding example of a mineral with a four syllable word! I demand to know where you found the example of Titanium from!" Kiyotaka shouted.

"...The Periodic Table? What, did I go off beat on somethin'? Or is it you peeps that are off beat with me?" Rizumu questioned.

"Anyway, if we're gonna get outta here, it's not gonna be through there." Mondo finished, getting back on the subject.

"I feel like I could just cry...But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration...!" Hina said, trying to keep up her positivity.

"I shall tell you what happened next...It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it's still worth worrying about. In both the school and dorm areas, there was a set of steps leading up to another floor." Sakura informed, with Hina adding something in.

"But there were gates there and we couldn't find any way to open them, so we couldn't check it out."

"In other words, at this point, we are only able to search the first floor." The Ultimate Martial Artist clarified, "We can further assume there is potentially something above the second floor, as well. And if that's the case, there is at least a chance it may lead to a way out."

Somethin' in my gut tells me that second floor ain't opening anytime soon. But I couldn't ponder on that because next to speak were, Celeste, Toko and Hifumi.

"If I'm being honest, I can't quite say we acted as one. Rather, we did *nothing* as one. We spent the entire time in the gym." Celeste admitted while twirling her hair, "Honestly, we are not the types to go running around a school like a gaggle of detectives."

"What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time?" Junko questioned, finding it to be a pretty boring way to spend the hours.

"W-Well it's not like any of you i-invited me along! Nobody said hey, c-come with us!" Toko retorted, pointing at Junko,"I blame y-you for leaving me out! I-It's your fault!"

"If you wanted to go with someone, you should've just said something!" Junko crossly reacted.

"Yeah! I even asked you, Gothlita and Fanzi if they dig taggin' along with me! I got their responses, but you ain't sayin' whatsoever!" I added.

"Hmph. F-Forget it. Like I'd w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you...And why would I b-bother going around with a f-filthy street rat?"

Junko gasped in surprise at Toko's insult, "Slut...?"

"Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach." the novelist included.

"I..." Junko responded, somewhat speechless, "I don't even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you just met?!"

"Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay? All this stress is bad for your skin, y'know?" Hiro spoke up, casually trying to stop the two.

"Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters!" Sayaka replied.

"Bluebird...This is a cat fight kickin' off." I explained, almost having a flashback for a brief moment, "And really, Litera? "Street Rat?" Is source of info for your insult comin' from you still lookin' like you ain't been bathin' for six fortnights?"

"W-What did you just say?!" Toko exclaimed, completely taken aback by my comeback.

"Ya heard me. Ain't repeatin' it. So I'm gonna tell ya peeps what I've found before findin' Bluebird in the kitch." I began, "After leavin' Frecks and Chibiro when done figurin' out the rooms were soundproof, I had a look more 'round the hotel's ground. They gotta laundry room, so we don't have to stick to wearin' same clothes 24/7. But here's what's been buggin' me...There's a public bath house opposite there. But tape's blockin' it."

"Yeah. I even tried opening the Nurse's office, but that's locked, too." Chihiro added.

"Really? Why would Monokuma restrict more rooms when the second floor is closed off?" Makoko questioned.

"Thinkin' about it, Tedbot's savin' rooms for later. I kinda get the bathhouse since we're still getting to know each other, but why the Nurse's Office?" I wondered, "...Meh. No one's busted somethin', so it's probably fine."

Well, fine for everyone else. Where the hell an I gonna find some bandages?

Lastly, it came to Sayaka Maizono on what she found in the school.  
"I went and had a look around the dining hall...I found a fridge in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff."

"And it ain't poison!" I added, as I now had a banana and ice pop in hand, "So that's sayin'somethin'! And if any of ya plan on askin' me to grab grub for ya...Go fish."

"I guess we don't have to worry about food, at least." Sayaka continued with a smile.

"Sure, for now. But even with all that, there are fifteen of us. How long can the food last...?" Hifumi questioned.

"Y-You can just eat sesame seeds or s-something..." muttered Toko, insulting his weight in her own way.

"Huh? What am, a parakeet?" Hifumi responded.

"I don't think we have to worry about it," Sayaka assured, "All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least, that's what Monokuma said..."

"You saw him?!" Junko exclaimed, the mentioning of the bear got everyone's attention.

"Bluebird and I did. Popped up sometime after I entered, told us that and went vanishin' faster than a snap." I explained, "I ain't seen anythin' like it. I get the feelin' it ain't some joystick box he's bein' controlled on."

"A weaponized toy that can appear from nowhere...I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not." Chihiro admits, being fascinated since it's her talent of being a programmer but is scared on what else it could do."

"But was everything okay? He didn't try to like, eat you or anything?" Hina asked, out of concern.

Hifumi...took the situation different because when he heard that word, he looked like he ran half a mile. Or for him it would be a shorter distance.  
"E-Eat her...? Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say "eat", what kind of eating are you talking about?" he breathed out.

"C-Come on, man!" Hina responded, startled and disgusted.

"What the hell, fatty?!" Leon exclaimed, "You're acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude."

"Not like there's a good kind of drunk dude..." Hiro casually let out.

"To answer ya question, Ducky. Tedbot only told us to pig out, eatin' disorders, that kind of crap. Besides, I was there with Bluebird and I ain't even gonna let that pile of junk start knawin' and clawin' at her!" I replied to Hina.

Sayaka, who happened to hear what I said started to smile with a blush on her face, "That's...really nice of you to say that. Thank you, Rizumu" she thanked.

Feelin' my face start its shades of pink I clenched one of my fists and placed its side to my heart while the other held onto one side of my headphones, "D-Don't sweat it...Bluebird." I answered. My heart was pounding quicker than before...

"Damn, dude. You've even got Sayaka falling for ya!" Leon teased. I was about to respond about not stealin' Makoto's chick, but I got interrupted.

"Hey! Stop screwing around, All of you!" shouted Junko, getting everyone's attention again, "Are you still asleep or something? We're prisoners here! We could all just die any second!"

"She's right. We can't be makin' stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something or, or-" Mondo started, but a voice originally presumed as absent interrupted him.

"You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on. Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?" Kyoko questioned as she finally showed up to the meeting.

"Kyoko! Where the heck have you been?! We've already started the meeting without you!" Kiyotaka demanded.

Kyoko's response was silence, and she also walked over to the table to place what looks to be some birds eye drawing of a part of a building.

"Huh? What's this...?" Makoto asked, looking down at the paper.

"It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko answered simply.

"A map...?" Makoto repeated, showing surprise at the fact Kyoko found something simple, yet crucial.

"Wh-What the...? Where did you find this?" asked Kiyotaka, suspicious about where Kyoko found it.

"It doesn't matter where I found it." the mysterious girl responded.

"It DOES matter! You're really freaking us out right now!" the Ultimate Moral Compass yelled.

Honestly, I can't help but cringe at his loud voice because of my hearing.

"Nevermind that. What's it mean?" questioned Junko.

"Just look at it. The building we're in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko elaborated.

"So what you're saying is...this really is Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto guessed.

"Well, in terms of construction, yes, " Kyoko confirmed, "But it looks like it's had a number of strange...renovations to it."

"Renovations?" the lucky student repeated, if he did hear this right.

"I don't know all the details yet. All I found was details about the first floor." Kyoko explained.

"But then...this really is Hope's Peak. We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place..." said Chihiro.

"So stupid it's not even possible *This* is where country's future elite are supposed to learn?" Mondo responded, finding it hard to believe this prison was the school.

"But if this if really Hope's Peak, where are all the other students?" Hina wondered.

"Same here, Ducky. This place is popular but it can't just be us peeps," I added, "There's gotta be more. And if not, how the hell did it get to this?"

"Hey, come on, guys. Let's just stop talking about all this...you know, negative stuff..." Yasuhiro spoke up.

"But aren't you worried? Things don't look good..." asked Makoto, noticing how the Ultimate Clairvoyant wasn't panicking.

"Worried? What's there to be worried about? I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right?" answered Yasuhiro, still thinking this is all an act, "Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out my mouth! Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and everything'll work itself out!"

I couldn't contain my loud groan of frustration towards him and once he was done saying what he wanted to say, I opened my mouth.

"Frizz-Fro, you got ya head in the clouds or somethin' I hate negativity, but I ain't the one to go gullible over reality. Stop thinkin' the supernatural's gonna shield ya and start gettin' back on this plain for once!" I seriously reasoned.

Everyone was silent, even he couldn't utter a word. It was only when someone's laugh broke the silence.

"Hahaha!" Celestia laughed, more of a formal girlish kind with her hand to her mouth.

"Wh-Why are you laughing? What's so funny?!" Toko stuttered.

"I am just happy. That is all. It seems splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all." the Ultimate gambler answered.

"Haven't you b-been listening?! Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time!" the Ultimate Writing Prodigy snapped, "We d-didn't find a way out, didn't f-find who's behind this. We still have no idea what's g-going on!"

"Huh? Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on? It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out." Celestia clarified.

None of is had any rebuttal to that. I wasn't going to deny this reality, but this...this was one of the realities I wanted to deny.

"Y-You didn't h-have to go and s-say that. I w-was trying not to th-think about it..." Toko winced, holding her head, "N-No way out...We're t-trapped here. What are w-we supposed to d-do...?"

"It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill-"

"Don't even joke about that!" Junko interrupted Byakuya, cutting him off.

"Everyone just calm down, please!" Sakaka spoke up, trying to reassure everyone, "We need to stop and think about what to do from here."

"There's gotta be *something* we can do..." Leon replied, his hands in his pockets.

"All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on." Celestia answered.

"Live here...? Are you saying we should just accept it?" asked Chihiro, becoming upset about it.

"A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability. Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt."

"Says the peep who ain't done nothin' but stayed in the gym the whole time." I blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Celestia responded looking back at me.

"You tellin' us to adapt, yet you stayed in one place. You coulda just take a stroll 'round first floor. You gotta be lackin' in adaptability, Gothlita." I pointed out.

"...Hmm. Yes, I can see why you would admit such a flaw. But at least I have my patience and tolerance, to which you appear to be lacking in. In fact, since you never stayed with your group, it is near to non-existent." Celestia reacted.

"Urgh...!" Something told me it was for both ways and I was cross to the point that I couldn't answer back. And that I touched the scar on my neck.

"As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion." the gambler continued.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mondo questioned.

"We all understand that we are trapped in here, which means we will be spending the night. However...You all remember the rule regarding nighttime, right?" Celestia mentioned.

 ** _(2. "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m to 7 a.m. Some areas are off limits at night, so please exercise caution.)_**

 ** _(3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.)_**

"So regarding this **_"nighttime,"_** I think we need to add a rule of our own." she suggested.

"What do you mean?" asked Makoto.

" ** _Going out at nighttime_** should be prohibited altogether. The school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night. I would like to make it official." Celestia explained.

"B-But why...?" Toko stuttered out

"The way things are now, every time night comes we will start to get worried and anxious. We will all be afraid someone might try and come kill us." Celestia pointed out.

"What?!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time." Celestia added.

"So you're suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure." simplified Sakura.

Celestia nodded. "However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it."

"I see what you mean. But...I think I can agree to that. It's like the little goth lolita said. Without something like that, we're just gonna self-destruct." Junko complied.

"On behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!" Kiyotaka agreed.

"Hey, you can't just decide to speak for us!" Leon complained.

"So everyone is in agreement? Good. Then if you'll excuse me..." Celistia said, standing up from her chair.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Chihiro kindly asked, curiously.

"It is almost nighttime. I want to take a shower before it arrives. So...goodbye." the goth concluded, bidding us all adieu by walking out of the dining hall. There is no way I'm sticking to that rule. Hell, I wished Buzzkill made the rule instead of her...

"S-So I guess it's pretty obvious where we go from here. We'll be spending the night, it looks like." said Hifumi.

"Adaptability..." Sakura spoke that word again, thinking about that word.

"So, Mr. Chairman...what next? One person already left." Junko asked Kiyotaka, since he's the one in charge.

"U-Umm...Well then, what say we call an end to today's meeting?!" he decided, "Like she said, it's almost nighttime anyway. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Do we really have to stay the night here...?" Chihiro timidly uttered out.

"We don't have a choice. We can't go for long without getting some sleep." Junko noted the obvious.

"So we have to just give up..." Mondo sighed out, letting his head low and his pomp covering his eyes.

I wasn't sure what swayed me to, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, which got his attention to look straight at me. I looked straight ito his eyes, though not as harshly as I did last time and gave him some reassurance.

"It ain't about givin' up, Pomp. We just gotta give in to what we've been given. And honestly, I ain't chill about it. Even with this nightime rule. But for this night I'm callin' it a day." I admitted.

"That's all f-fine and good for today, but what do we d-do tomorrow?" questioned Toko.

"Our only option is to split up and look around again, and let everyone know if we find anything." Sakura explained.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do that...!" Aoi agreed.

"Then we're done for the day? Good, I'm exhausted..." Junko said, before making her way out of the dining room as well.

And with that, the rest of us made their way to the dorms. I was gonna go to my own, but I need to find Junko just to say sorry about my outburst from in my room.

"Hey, Frecks. Ya gotta minute?" I asked her, to which she turned in surprise and confusion, "I know you wanna go in your room, but I wanna say it was my bad for that argument we had in my crib."

"Aww, Rizumu~! Don't worry about it!" the Ultimate Fashionista answered cheerfully, before looking a bit guilty yourself, "Actually, I felt really bad about that. I know you aren't those creepy weirdos in alley, but the world's full of animals like that, ya know?...But I think having to live like that made me way stronger."

"Yeah, I had my fair share of 'em. But we still got on top despite it! But...in different routines. Anyway, I just wanna make sure you ain't envying me." I explained, but I did notice the little bunny and bow in her pink blonde hair, "Ya know...for some reason. I'm glad I called ya Frecks instead of Bunbo. Anyway, catch ya later!"

* * *

And with that, I closed the door to my own room. Quickly removing my clothes and bandages, I took a quick shower before slipping on a vest and shorts. After reaching for my beats...

 ** _*Ding dong, bing bong*_**

The monitor in my room came alive and displayed Monokuma in some surveillance room, with a wine glass filled with red wine or tomato juice or whatever it is.

 ** _Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially "nighttime". Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay, then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite..._**

Well, that's the cue for night time. And this whole thing's put me outta the mood for dancin. Anyway, I stuck on my headphones and picked a beat that made me go to sleep before I even knew that I had closed my eyes.

That rapped up my first day in Hope's Peak Academy.


	5. Chapter 5

**_(Monokuma Theatre: No.1)_**

 ** _In any normal school, Mr. Monokuma would be a kind teacher. But when I think about what's coming up...I'm just so full of pride and joy. Our ceremony earlier today was absolutely splendid. Thank you all very much. Remember that you're all students of Hope's Peak Academy, and strive to refine your ideals. I swear to you, I will send you all off into a new tomorrow!_**

* * *

 ** _*Ding dong, bing bong*_**

"Huh?! What the?!" I exclaimed, bolting upwards from my sleep as I heard the alarm go off. Looking at the monitor, Monokuma showed up on screen.

 ** _Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!_**

I slept until 7? I guess this stuff had exhausted me more than I thought...

Once the screen turned off, I got changed and headed out the door pretty quickly to see if Monokuma was right about "sending us off on a new tomorrow". Honestly, it was creepy how my dreams were invaded by that bear until the rest of my night was darkness. I could've stayed in my room to try out the DDR machine for a quick warm up, but-

"Good morning, Rizumu!"

"Agh!" I cried out, holding my ears after nearly jumping out of my skin when I heard Kiyotaka greeting me loudly, "Buzzkill! Ya nearly killed me there, ya uptight idiot! Urgh...now my ears are ringing."

"I-I'm sorry! Please forgive my sudden outburst! Motivational greetings for the new day are vital in making sure to put in our best effort!" Kiyotaka apologized, even going far as to bow in front of me.

"I know...I'm just not use to unexpected shoutin'. Is that everyone out?" I asked him.

"Hmm...I haven't seen Makoto and Sayaka leave their rooms yet." Kiyotaka answered.

"Great! Ya got two other peeps left for ya pep talk. I'm gonna start lookin' before ya do that though. Later, Buzzkill!"

I dashed off to find a group to look around, even hearing The Ultimate Moral Compass yell at me to not run in the halls but he didn't come after me either due to my quick feet or Makoto getting out of his room. Getting myself out of Despair hotel made me make my way out into the first floor and I can see that a few places were open to me. The one that caught my eye was the "School Store". Opening the doors, I was greeted with a bunch of stuff in front of me both Japanese and Western! It reminded me of like a street market or an arcade gift shop.

"Hi~! Rizumu!"

Junko also happened to be looking around in the gift shop and she greeted me with a wide smile.

"Waddup, Frecks! Are ya lookin' for somethin' to entertain yourself?" I guessed.

Junko nodded. "Yeah! If I'm gonna walk all around this boring place, I need at least something to satisfy me. I saw that the store didn't have tape over anymore, so I went in!"

"Damn look at all this stuff! I wonder if..." I muttered out, searching both pockets of my hoodie jacket and pants. Feeling a handful of something I took them out to see some coins, but they were bronze and had the face of Monokuma.

"Huh...Doesn't even look like what I scraped up from my first time I hit the streets without a home." I responded, "What the hell are these things?"

"I dunno...Maybe you should try it out on that machine over there! You might actually get something worth your time!" Junko suggested.

Taking her advice I slipped in a monocoin after a **_"5,6,7 and Bam!"_** and twisted the knob 2 times. What came out of it next was a capsule, which I caught the moment it fell out. Popping it open I got...

 **Sonic Cup-a-Noodle: Instant noodles. Fill it with boiling water and it's ready in 3 seconds. Of course, it also goes bad in like 30...**

"Well, I was thinkin' of gettin' something to eat. This is pretty rad!" I exclaimed, "Lemme try again!"

While I was having a few more tries at the monomachine putting in one coin for each try, Makoto came in with Sayaka. But I could still hear their conversations as I continued.

"Hey there, Ma~ko~to~! Ohh, is it just the two of you now? Are you on a da~~te?" Junko questioned, teasingly.

"Wh-What?!" Makoto exclaimed, becoming a little flustered.

"Damn, Makoto! I never woulda guessed, but you're a total player, huh? Hey, Rizumu! It looks like you have got some competition!"

"I heard that!" I called back to Junko's response while twisting the knob of the machine.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. I'm his assistant!" Sayaka explained, with her signature smile at the last sentence.

"Huh? His assistant? What is that, like some new kinda roleplay thing? Well, whatever. What you're into is your business. I won't judge! Anyway if you don't mind..." Junko replied, walking out the door.

"See ya later, Frecks!" I called out to her and finally looking at Makoto and Sayaka.

"I know she's kiddin', but all I did is give a nickname or say I'd protect them from Tedbot's wrath. Also guys can have gals as friends, but I ain't stoppin' ships from sailing." I clarified, "Anyway, Lucky, Bluebird what brings ya here?"

"Oh, well...Sayaka and I are looking for something that can be used as self-defence. And...what is that you were messing with while we were talking with Junko?" Makoto asked, pointing to the mono machine.

"Oh that? It's just a machine that gives out stuff when you place those coins in. I figured I try and get somethin' fun and get somethin' to help us!" I answered.

"That sounds great! Um...Do you have anything that's for self defence?" Sayaka asked.

Popping open the capsules I thoroughly checked each one to see if there was anything for them, but...Although I got some cool stuff, there was nothing for self defence. The last Item I got was an everlasting bracelet, which actually intrigued me for some time as if it was familiar to me. Good thing Makoto and Sayaka's presence snapped me out of it.

"Nah, nothin' worth it. Sorry, peeps," I apologized, "Besides I don't like havin' to resort to this kinda thing. Yeah, streets are tough, but dance offs are the only physical confronts I say are on."

"Oh, its okay, Rizumu. Thank you for offering!" Sayaka thanked.

"Ah, no prob, Bluebird. I'd offer ya and Bluebird some coins to play, but savin' up what I have and spendin' wise for myself is a thing for me. Good luck with ya search! You too, Lucky!" I supported, before heading out to look for a group to go around, since Makoto and Sayaka seem fine by themselves, Sakura, Aoi and Toko were together the last time I checked, Hifumi and Celestia aren't going to take part, Yasuhiro is still not taking things seriously, not sure where Junko is now, Taka's probably looking by himself somewhere and I don't care about what Byakuya's doing.

Besides, I just prefer being with two or more people, not wantin' to go duo or solo...

* * *

As I was thinking where to go next, I heard a foot making constant contact with metal coming from the main hall. Looking into it, I discovered two peeps there and that happened to be Leon with Mondo, who was trying to kick down the door.

"Hey, Pomp! Blaze! How's it hangin'!" I greeted to them, instantly making my way over to them.

"Blaze? Haha, now that's a new one! What's up, Rizumu?" Leon asked.

"The sky's up there, peep! Or right now, it's the ceiling!" I joked.

The two of them took a second to process what I said, which also stopped Mondo from kicking the door. After that small pause all three of us began laughing at the joke.

"Bahahaha! That's a good one, dude!" Mondo complimented, even giving me a high five.

"Alright, what the hell's goin' on here?" I asked, lookin' at the metal hatch.

"We're trying to find a way out. I figured I'd give it another shot." Mondo explained.

"You're doin' what ya did before again? Giantess was with ya before and with ya both, it didn't leave a dent!" I referenced, "At this point, whatcha doin' is like talkin' to a brick wall."

"...Fuckin' hell! There's gotta be a way to bust this shit open!" Mondo shouted, getting really frustrated at this point.

"Here, Lemmie have a look at what we're dealin' with..." I said, as I looked at my surroundings to see 3 pairs of cameras as well as two pairs of turrets.

"Wow...whoever kept us in here gotta know more than a thing or two on tech commands... Since he ain't here to control it all with their bare hands...I'm guessin' even the hatch can only open with a push of a button." I guessed.

"Man, Rizumu. How could you that kind of stuff? All this tech stuff just leaves my head in a spin." Leon asked.

"Ha! Says the baseball star who wants to go punk!" I retorted with a smirk, "it's cool, peep. There's more to tech than tunin' a metal guitar. I took part time jobs at clubs, arcades, venues, ya know the drill. They were impressed with my moves so they gave me a bunch of tips!"

"Hey, you think you can help me out with that stuff? I gotta find the right kind of people if I'm gonna be a musician!" he offered me.

"I doubt I'd be much help for ya there, Blaze. Bluebird on the other hand can help ya out! But not right now, she's with Lucky." I answered, "...As his assistant."

"Assistant? Damn, out of all of us I didn't know he was a kinky son of a bitch!" Mondo joked.

"Well if the waves carry it onward, I ain't stoppin' it." I replied with a shrug, "Anyway, I'm gonna go grab some breakfast. You peeps comin' with? Maybe mornin' grub will get ya brains in gear or lift ya spirits!"

"Hey! My brain's already been in gear since we got stuck here! But...I guess having some breakfast with ya will get my mind of this stupid hatch." Leon agreed.

"Well...I ain't got nothin' better to do. I'm down with that!" added Mondo.

Putting aside escaping for now, I headed to the dining hall with Leon and Mondo and we sat down together. We actually had a pretty good time as we shared some food and drink that I got from the machine at the school store. Leon shared me his favourite music and punk bands, and I in return gave my songs and offered to be a dancer if he ever had a song made when he got a band together. Mondo and I talked about the times we had with our own groups. Even though it did nothing to get us out I enjoyed the time we had at breakfast. It was sometime at that point Makoto and Sayaka entered as well.

"Yo Makoto! What's that weird shit on your hands?" Mondo questioned, instantly noticing the difference on the Ultimate Lucky Students palms.

"Whoa! They're glowin'! Kinks are one thing, but I didn't know hands could work like magic!" I laughed, with Leon and Mondo joining in.

"I-It's not like that! I just got gold paint on my hands when I barely touched that sword in the gym entryway." Makoto explained, blushing a little bit with Sayaka sharing her own blush, but giggled a little at the joke.

"I was kiddin', Lucky! Make sure you wash your hands in the sink." I responded.

"Hey, Sayaka. You gotta minute?" Leon asked, "I need your help with something."

"Oh, okay. Can you tell me after breakfast? I'm making breakfast for me and Makoto." Sayaka replied.

"Yeah, I got time." Leon accepted, "I mean it's not like I have anything else better to do other than chasing my dream."

"Your dream...?" Sayaka questioned, curiously.

"Yeah! To become a musician!" Leon exclaimed, "You can sense my aura, right? The strongest vocals of the century right here! God, I feel so cool getting to say that in front of a national celebrity..."

"Dreams..." Sayaka repeated that word as she began to daydream a little.

"...Earth to Bluebird?" I called out to her, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh, sorry, Rizumu. I spaced out a moment there. Makoto, let's go to the kitchen. You need to wash that gold paint off your hands, right?" Sayaka mentioned as she and Makoto went into the kitchen.

"Well, sounds like ya got a chance of gettin' that dream, Leon." I said to him.

After we finished up for breakfast we reluctantly split up to look around the school. Well I was the reluctant one. I now found myself to be just myself yet again. I guess I could find two more peeps that are together. Then again...I never did check out my room properly for myself. Heading back to my room, I instantly looked at the DDR set the moment I stepped inside. Hoping that it'll work, I instantly went onto the dance board with the blue and pink arrows. Surprisingly on the first step it actually turned on. And it didn't seem to need any currency. Heh...Even before I knew it, when I chose the song I danced to, I actually found myself thinking back to that day I began this beat...

* * *

 _It was just beginning to turn to night as I made my way back to my family's house with all of my school stuff. Once again...It was just my feet that had to trace the path back home since no car came to pick me up. I had more or less got to the streets where it was popular for meetups, which I passed by often, but never had enough time in case the door got locked. But since I got out of after school class early, I could finally walk on my own two feet instead of going on my tiptoes. A certain arcade actually caught me eye. Honestly, its been a while since I've been in one. My dad used to take me there a long time ago. Heading inside I saw that it was quite mostly crowded with most of the games being occupied, people laughing, cheering, groaning in defeat yet still in high spirits even if they lost to a game. I couldn't help but smile yet internally sulk at how much everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. And they weren't even my class. Both literally when it came to my school and-_

 _Suddenly, my ears sensed the source of the intense music and I looked over to see a group of people playing Dance Dance Revolution. It was the most crowded and there were already two people playing the game. But it still got me to come over and watch. When I got there, I realized while there were mostly guys playing and most girls were spectating. When I showed up to watch, I was instantly pointed out for still wearing my school shirt and skirt._

 _ **"Hey, girl! Why are you still wearing that? It's been hours!"** a guy spoke to me. Yeah...a guy! Damnit! Why couldn't it be a girl! I don't know how to talk to guys! Well, its only a question._

 _ **"Yeah, it...really has. But I've got enough time to take a small break while I walk home."** I said, while looking around the place._

 _ **"Listen, babe. I don't think this is your kind of break. Unless you got the feet quick enough to kill the beats. If not, I bet I can give you the break you need."**_ _he replied with a smirk, while making eye contact at my chest._

 _I may have had a blush, but his expectations of me got me angry than embarrassed._

 _ **"You doubt me and think of one thing only? If that's what men are like now then allow me to prove you wrong. Name the song."** I challenged.  
_  
 _ **"Whoa, girl! Hang on...!"** another guy spoke as if to either stop me from making a mistake or even he doubted me._

 _ **"Don't mean to stop what you're doing, but he's one of the top 10 champions! Maybe you should...take it slow?"** one of the girl spectators suggested._

 _Already making my way over to the dance pad on the second side, I turned towards the bar and faced her and the crowd that began to surround me._

 _ **"Thanks for your concern...But I'm through with going slow."** I answered, before looking at my challenger, __**"So...are you going to name your song, or back down?"**_

 _ **"...Alright. But if you lose, don't go crying to me. I prefer you screaming with my name on your lips."** he teased, climbing up on the first dance pad and choosing a song. Just to be even more cocky, he picked a harder difficulty._

 _When the music began to play, the beat was faster than what I listened to in class, but the same pace I privately listened to at home, so I managed to keep up with him. Eventually it extended to why it was classed as hard mode. I was starting to lose myself. Even with the beat and tempo music, I could hear the laughter, the doubts and comments about my bar going down. But during that build up to the bass drop...something within me broke free. The shouting...the mean laughing...the humiliation...everything combined of negativity that hindered me was flung aside in my mind and before I even knew it, I was dancing better than he was. I didn't even need to use the bar anymore! Soon enough everyone one was cheering me on, with a few of the boys looking bewildered that a newcomer, who was a girl, wearing only most of her school was killing this beat better than the one who tried to hit on her!_

 _When the song ended, I ended up winning as well as entering the high score board and everyone in the arcade who went to watch us began cheering me. I was sweating at the end of the song, but it was such a rush that I never got from anywhere before. During the heat of the moment I turned to the loser and made a comeback._

 _ **"Looks like I got the break I deserved. But it looks like your pride has just been crushed by my feet!"**_

 _The whole crowed went "OHHHHH!" as the guy that challenged me just growled and...began walking away. I...just couldn't help but feel my heart tighten in guilt, but the crowd blocked my way before I could even move to reach him. Did I ruin another life...again? But I didn't give in to the guilt as everyone around me complimented on my moves and asked how I beaten him, where did I came from, who I was...etc.  
_  
 ** _"My name...? I'm called-"_**

 _I was about to ask, but then I remembered I had to be home soon or my mother...she would literally pin me! Grabbing my stuff, I instantly made my way out to the arcade's exit, but I was stopped by even the manager himself so he could let the group that was originally crowded by the DDR Machine speak to me._

 _ **"Hey, Um...Whoever you are. You wanna hang with us next time? We wanna see ya dance again. Because we're honest on that being wicked cool!"** a different guy, who looked to be my age at the time offered._

"My first try of something different, and you want to see more of what I can do? I have much to lean than what it seems to you. So...I will be back for more." I answered, resuming back to a little mellow state, but still looking brighter than I had in years as I touched my heart, _**"Also...I'm not ready to say my name. But you can just refer to me as "B" for now."**_

 _After waving goodbye, I hurried out of the arcade, hoping to get back to my family home soon.  
_

* * *

Opening my eyes after the final beat I danced to for the day, I took in a deep breath that was enough as I could with my bindings wrapped around me. I must've been in here for a long while. Taking a shower again, I decided to take a shower, put on my pyjamas and change my bindings before taking my own dirty washing to the laundry room. Opening the door, I stuffed my washing in one of the machines and closed the door. To pass the time I lied down on one of the benches with my headphones still in my ears and played some music while I was getting a drink from the machine as a passed the time.

Unexpectedly, I was greeted by a familiar adorable face of Chihiro, who entered my vision. Not wanting to ignore the little bunny, I removed my headphones to greet...her.

"Hey, Chibi! How are ya doin?!" I asked, still hearing the music from my headphones, but since they were off I could hear her.

"I'm fine. Um...Sorry for disturbing you." Chihiro apologized, thinking she interrupted me.

"Don't sweat it, peep!" I reassured her, while getting up "I was just passing time while my laundry's getting done."

With that response, Chihiro sighed in relief with a cute smile.

"Oh, good. You just seemed to be enjoying yourself, but you got really frantic with your moves, so I couldn't help but worry about you." she explained.

...Damnit, the kid's adorable. Why does she remind me of my little sis before-

No...No, I can't think of that right now! Ever!

"Rizumu? Are you feeling alright...?" I received an ask from Chihiro, noticng my pained expression and grabbing my neck scar.

"Yeah...It's a long story. I'm not comfortable about talkin' about it." I explained.

"Oh...I'm sorry. Should we talk about something else?" she suggested.

Honestly, even though I prefer two or more people to talk to, I found myself actually having a fine conversation with Chihiro. There were a few awkward pauses here and there but other than that, we actually had a fun time. We even had a go at one of the things I got from the MonoMonoMachine. The Pretty Hungry Caterpillar. But after we had a laugh...

 ** _*Ding dong, bing bong*_**

Silencing ourselves, me and Chihiro looked up at the monitor to see Monokuma yet again.

 ** _Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially "nighttime". Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay, then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite..._**

The monitor then turned itself off and now everything was silent once more. Luckily, my laundry had been finished and I proceeded to drag it out of the washer/dryer, folding it up as well.

"Well...It looks like we have to stay in our rooms until morning." said Chihiro.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna. I know its to keep us safe, but why the hell did Gothlita come up with it! I'd prefer it to be Buzzkill's idea!" I growled in frustration.

"Are you still mad about what Celeste said to you yesterday? Or is it something else you don't want to talk about?" Chihiro questioned.

"I sighed to calm myself down and turned my head to The Ultimate Programmer, "Kinda both," I admitted,"It's just...I gotta grudge against upper class, so her making a rule to me ain't pretty to me..." I explained lightly, while another pause of silence followed, "...You want me to give you a piggyback?"

"Huh?" Chihiro responded in confusion.

"I mean...C'mon! Let's go back to our dorms together!" I corrected, or rather changed the subject.

Since it was next door, we didn't have long to walk to our rooms. I couldn't believe I blurted that out. I mean Chihiro looks small enough to be a child who would like that sort of thing, but...she is a teen like I am. When Chihiro got to her room, I said goodbye to her for the day before heading to mine.

"Hey, Rizumu?" Chihiro called out to me, making me turn around, "I understand if there's something hard for you to talk about. But...If you ever need someone when you're ready, we'll be here to help you."

"...Yeah. We're all still a team in this. And no matter where we stand, we gotta support each other to get through this." I agreed, getting a smile back on my face again, "Thanks, Chibi! I'll see ya in the mornin'!"

* * *

Waving the little programmer goodbye, I returned to my room for the night. Compared to yesterday, I felt like this day was much better. We we're still trapped inside by Monokuma and had no luck again in finding out what's going on outside, but I got to spend time with others without all the killing stuff going on.

Maybe things will start looking up to the point of us all being able to bond with each other and work together without hesitation and reluctance. As considered students of Hope's Peak Academy, we can only hope.


	6. Chapter 6

**_(Monokuma Theatre No.2)_**

 ** _Ahem, so...I'm sure that you've noticed that the killing game has begun, but...there's still room for a little laughter. It seems our newest students, already so filled with despair, still have some hope of escape! Puhuhu... So when will it begin? When will their hope begin to die? Is it time yet? Is it time?! Heartpounding excitement!_**

* * *

 _*snip, snip, pull*_

 _*snip, snip, pull*_

 _ **"...There. That's the last string for now..."**_ _I sighed after removing the last thread from my arm. I would've wiped my hand on my brow if the back of it didn't have drops of blood on it._

 _I honestly didn't know how those mannequins could stand still with all the pricks and pins they must suffer from. But they don't feel any pain like me. Even after all those years, I'm still feeling pain. I'll be in High School soon...And just like before the pain will continue and it'll worsen. If I have to endure more pain, then fine! But can't I have at least one day to forget about it._

 _As I thought that, I didn't expect her to be standing outside my room, peeking behind the door. It caught me off by surprise because I never saw her face to face before. She's definitely grown from all the baby pictures I saw. She didn't look like dad, so she was luckily spared. Or does she have someone else as a dad like Yui? Is she competing for something as well?_

 _She had all the traits of an Itokinuyo, or rather just mother with her light brown hair and large ocean blue eyes. But she just looks so adorable being! Even if I was the odd one out, here I am exchanging awkward silence with my little sister..._

 _ **"Ume..."**_ _I spoke out, forgetting the pin pricks that I had and standing up from the floor._

She looked a little conflicted, opening her mouth to say something but immediately shuts it. She probably wasn't sure how she should speak to me or mother told her not to. Speaking of which I hoped she was busy with Yui or something that kept her from knowing anything. I decided if she wasn't going to or couldn't speak to me, then she could probably do something for me.

 _ **"Can you give me some wipes? They're in the bathroom?"**_ _I asked her kindly. I was glad to see her nod and hurried out of my room, only for her to return a few minutes later with the wipes. It's nice to know she helped me with something from a stranger, despite being siblings.  
But now it was back to awkward silence...Well, up until she finally spoke._

 _ **"Mummy and Big Sis can't play with me...They say they're too busy**_." _Ume said, looking down at her feet._

I can see why. It's been hard since that day...All Yui and mother ever does now is focus on the business. I still miss dad and right now only a few memories remain of him. Ume...has never met him. The only was to know he was ever there is...through me. I'm almost the exact replica of him in looks. I knelt down on my knees, which caused her to look at me.

 ** _"You didn't have to wait this long to tell me, little plum."_** I told her, holding her cheeks in my hands **_"That's why my door has always been open since you were born."_**

 _Ume was surprised, even looking like she was going to tear up, but my hands started moving down to her shoulders and I tickled under her neck._

 _ **"H-Hey! T-Tickles!"**_ _Ume giggled out, her shoulders moving upwards, but all that did was keep my hands in place to continue being her tickle monster._

 _ **"It does because I'm your tickle monster!"**_ _I teased, before blowing raspberries on her stomach, making her blush yet laugh out of happiness._

 _ **"B...Beni...k-ko!"**_ _she laughed out._

As I continued to mess with her and laugh along with her...for the first time in a while, I actually forgot about the pain.

* * *

"...Heh, heh...Ume..." I mumbled in my sleep, even blowing a few minor raspberries with my lips.

My eyes suddenly opened wide and I jolted upward in surprise as my brain acknowledged that I said her name! Damn it! This wasn't the first time I had dreams or nightmares of my past, but now my brain's making me remember things vividly when I sleep! Agh!...Well, I'm going to sleep anytime soon. I guess I'll dance to some DDR, since that's always gonna wake me up. Starting up the system, I selected a fast paced song and without the bars I kept in time with the beat, by simply watching the screen and not my feet. Each step I took made me feel better each second as well as the upbeat music. The song ended and I got triple A in the process, which was frequent for me nowadays, but now I'm feelin' pumped up!

 ** _*Ding dong, bing bong*_**

Well, until Tedbot killed the mood...

 ** _Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!_**

Letting out a groan, I got changed into my normal attire and headed out of the door. I headed over to the school store to see if I could get some mineral water from the MonoMonoMachine. The result I got wasn't what I expected, but I liked what I got nonetheless. Opening the can of cola, I saw Makoto walk through the door.

"Ma! Ma! Makoto! How's it hangin', Lucky?! You gettin' some come cool stuff?" I asked.

"Actually, I was asking if I could spend some time with you, Rizumu." Makoto answered.

Nice! I bet a few others are waiting outside...wait. Is it just me and him?! Oh...this is gonna be awkward. But we're in the school store, so there's bound to be something we could do to not make it all silent and weird.

"Ya... wanna hang out with me? I tend to stick with groups, but with just one I... Ya know what? No probs! Let's hang!" I accepted.

Throughout the time we shared together, we talked about fairly average stuff and at the same time, I was paying close attention to his conversations and actions. It's safe to say through this time, we grew a little closer. What I didn't expect him to do was give me a gift. He gave me an Astral Boy Doll. It's design reminded me of a radio player, so I liked it and gave him my thanks

"So, Lucky. What's with the black jack?" I questioned him, looking at the jacket that covered his hoodie.

"Huh? Black jack?" the lucky student responded with confusion

"Your jacket. I mean your wearing somethin' tight over somethin' comf. You not restrainin' your arms or something?" I clarified.

"No, not really. It actually doesn't bother me at all..." answered Makoto

"What?! Are you really that lanky? Here, lemmie look!" I said, proceeding to take his jacket off much to his surprise, "Damn, peep. You slide out of it no prob. You really are average built. Now, I can finally look at that sick hoodie properly!"

I was serious. The jacket didn't let me look at his hoodie properly, so I wasn't going to miss this opportunity, "Wow! I can see why it ain't a bother...Hey Lucky, what's that red thing your hood? Checking if ya know...It looks like...

"It's a gas mask." Makoto answered simply.

"YEAH! That's it!" I exclaimed, "I knew your hoodie had a kinda toxic vibe to it But why toxic of all things? You really need to wear brighter digs, Lucky. Take the Graffiti Streakerz looks for facts!"

"The Graffiti Streakers...That's the name of your dance group, right?" Makoto recalled, with me nodding in confirmation

 ** _"_** Yep! Though I wouldn't say I lead them. Never cared for top dog. Ain't desired it or want it...Never deserved it..." I muttered out, almost sinking down my current mood as my hand went to my neck and the other went to my heart in a pained expression, until I snapped back and getting serious,"...BUT! I uphold teamwork. We take care of our own, but if they wanna risk the danger the streets have, I'm not stopping their routine. I don't see 'em doing so, though. I mean they all suffered grim stuff. One's battling from an addiction, Another's recovering from the Big C...One of the kids that dance with us was a runaway from a bitch of a babysitter. Despite that, we're the top dance posse out there!

"Wow, Rizumu. You seem to care about them very much. You've been a big help to them when they've gone through so much..." Makoto appreciated.

"Yeah...But knowing 'em they can pull through. Wish I could make a family than be born into one. But its like The Chicken and the Egg: One can't exist without the other, so circles have no beginning. Anyway, I'll bring ya to one of our venues, if we get out, "I offered him, "We could look for a better main colour than fern green..."

"Fern Green...?" Makoto pointed out what I said and that's when I realized my flaw.

"I-I mean green! Just green...Catch ya later, Lucky!" I corrected myself, before dashing out of the school store.

* * *

Damnit. I hate it every time I get very picky on colours by describing them accurately. It's just a reminder of the past I spent with my former family. I could dance to some DDR again, but I'm not much of an introvert...I KNOW! Rollerblading will work! Where did I last leave them? I knew I bought them with me since that was how I get myself to the academy. But as I was in my thoughts, I ended up crashing into someone's back and dropped to the floor. I held my head, realising my hat had fallen off, but my braided ponytail was still pinned to my head. When he turned around...Mondo...He looks pissed.

"Hey! Watch if you son of a-!" Mondo shouted, but he cut off his loud tone when noticed that it was only me.

"Sorry, Pomp...Just got out while thinkin' about somethin'." I apologized, before looking around for my hat.

Finding it on the ground behind me, I reached to grab it and place it back on my head and moved to get myself back on my feet, but I discovered Mondo's hand in front of me, offering to lift me off the ground. Honestly, I was surprised at the gesture, but I smiled as I clasped it and he heaved me back up on my own two feet.

"Heh...Never thought you'd be the one to fall down like that. Was startin' to wonder if your hat was stuck on." Mondo replied.

"Yeah? Well at least I still look rad in it. It'll make ya hair upgrade to laughin' stock." I joked.

"What?!" He growled, giving me a death glare.

While a little intimidated, I let out a laugh and lightly slammed on his shoulder, "Haha! Just messin' with ya, pomp! But seriously, this cap's is just as much as your jacket in value. They gotta kill me if they want it."

"Yeah, I get ya. If anyone wants to take the jacket from the leader of the Crazy Diamonds It'll be over my dead body. I'll fuck 'em up if they ever think about trying!" Mondo agreed, cracking his knuckles in that last sentence.

"Okay, Pomp! Take it back now. Nobody's here to screw us around. But, if ya got nothin' to do..." I suggested, even becoming a little embarrassed since I'm asking one person, specifically him to spend some time with me, "Damn, this goes both ways but... I thought we could screw around together."

"Really? You ain't even-?"

"As if I'd be shit scared of ya!" I exclaimed, cutting off what he was going to say, which was rare for me, "I just prefer hangin' out in crowds than company! That's why I was pretty chill askin' you and Leon out for grub!" I lowered my voice after a short breath, "But...Being who we are and knowin' where we stand on the streets, I can tell ya good company. Even before..."

"Huh? Before what?" Mondo asked, hearing what I muttered out.

"...Nothin'. So, you wanna hang with me or what?" I suggested.

"Sure, Rizumu. Hell, even though we kinda just met I think you're good company, too! You wanna go get somethin' to drink?" the biker offered.

"You betcha! I'm gonna need to fill up my tank when I start bustin' moves!" I accepted, walking with him to the dining hall.

* * *

When we got there, I didn't expect to find Kiyotaka and Byakuya already there as well. This was uncomfortable for the both of us because... The Ultimate Moral Compass is so obedient to the rules and Mondo's rebelliousness he and Mondo clearly don't mix well. I still think Taka's a buzzkill, but I still have respect for him for his effort. And I think he's more tolerable to me, so long as I don't graffiti where I shouldn't.

Byakuya...well, beside him seeing us two as plebeians or such. I...knew of him through my past life. I don't think me and him had ever met, but he definitely met Yui...Even now I wonder if he's always been like this, or this is what Yui would've been like if she actually won against him...

Well, that aside, me and Mondo got to the kitchen, and actually saw Hifumi there as well, probably to get something to eat. While we were waiting for the water to boil, me and the fanfic creator, got into a discussion on music that came from video games and anime. I wasn't interested in his favourite anime, but I did admit to enjoying one anime about a girl crossdressing as a boy to be a host in a rich school.

"Speakin' of that, I actually went to Karuizawa in the summer with my dance crew! Some of the best days I had!" I exclaimed, excitedly.

"Be quiet, Rizumu. Not everyone has time for your enthusiastic ramblings. If you're so passionate about it to the point of returning there again, you have but to kill a fellow student." Byakuya spoke from his seat.

"Oh, go fuck your bucks, Rich Prick!" I cursed out to him, as me and Mondo finished preparing out tea.

We both would've smirked at each other from seeing the Ultimate Affluent Progeny's reaction, but our attention had to be caught by Kiyotaka, who heard me and my comeback.

"Rizumu! Swearing is NOT welcome in a school environment!" he shouted.

"Hey! He killed the mood. Don't make it worse, Buzzkill." I retorted.

"Yeah, man. He had every right to say that to that asshole!" Mondo added in my support.

"I can see why she had to say such a thing, but please refrain yourself from speaking inappropriate language next time." Taka warned me.

"Relax. We're gonna to the edge so I won't hafta deal with him," I assured him, "Pricks like him tend to rub me the wrong way..."

Heading to the very end of the cafeteria with Mondo, we both sat together to indulge in tea and conversations. We even spoke on our own progress in getting out, to which I've admitted to lacking in since I did wanted to adapt to surroundings. Eventually we got to talk on personal stuff.

"Yo, Rizumu. What's your ride?" he asked me.

"My ride? Sorry to say, but I ain't got one," I answered, "I mean the only set of wheels I got are my rollerblades Skidz gave me."

"Skidz? What kinda name is that?" Mondo questioned.

"The *nickname* of one of the few peeps who got me on my feet since those rough times. Even taught me how to dance on rollerblades!" I explained, "I met him at the arcade when I first got my passion for dance through DDR...But aside from that. We're talkin' about rides, right?"

"Yeah. Shit, Rizumu...I thought you'd have a ride by now. I mean, you're not a little kid anymore! Tell you what. I'm gonna educate ya!" Mondo decided, "So listen up. A real man rides Kawasaki, okay? That's what I ride. You oughta see it, man. T v-twin's got that monster power, it's like you're dancin'. Course it ain't for just anyone. You gotta have the skill to handle it!"

"Dancin'...while on a hog?" I ya makin' me wanna pinch myself, pomp! I must be dreamin' hearing you say that!" I responded.

"Well I ain't kiddin'! You wanna come ride with my gang? The monster sound comin' outta that straight pipe...hot damn!" Mondo said, really showing his passion for motorbikes.

"Ridin' with the Crazy Diamonds sounds like a blast..." Rizumu admits, "But I don't wanna cause *that* kind of trouble. But like I said, I ain't even sat on a hog. And before rollerbladin' I did parkour."

"Dude! The minute we get out of here, I'm totally lettin' you ride with me!" Mondo offered.

When he gave me that offer, my face actually lit up. On a bike with one of The Diamond Brothers? I couldn't contain my joyful shout.

*...FUCK YEAH I WANNA RIDE WITH YA!" I yelled out.

"Rizumu! Language!" Kiyotaka shouted from afar.

"S-Sorry!" I apologized, before actually becoming embarrassed, but still smiling at the thought, "But for real. I don't mind that offer!...Pomp, are you okay? You look like ya spacin' out."

"Uh...Nothin'. You just remind me of when I started riding as a kid. My big bro used to take me on his bike. You heard of him? His name's Daiya."

"Daiya..." I found myself repeating that name breathlessly.

Have I heard of him? No...I mean why haven't I not heard of him? I never did forget how we first met. When I met both of you in the alleyway...

* * *

 _It was about a week since I first danced at the arcade where I saw these dancers that do a different style of dance I never got the chance to experience until now. The group that I met with were also street dancers that danced for fun and would hold events in clubs or just in the streets. My mother went on a trip and took two sisters with me, leaving me to the house myself. Actually, she purposely didn't want me to come, but at least my big sister, Yui hid the spare key from her for me...but it took a while to find it._

 _Honestly, everybody was having a good time as I was. The speakers beating out pumping music, the flashy dancers in illuminous hoodies and neon caps with spray paint designs. Despite being a newbie, I was well adjusted to the crowd. I didn't wear a hat, but I allowed my hair to not be in a bun or a braided ponytail and allowed it to hand loose, as well as make it wavy like my sister. With the money I managed to save, which luckily was more than enough even though compared to my family looked like spare change, I bought new clothes for the occasion, so I wouldn't have to show up in my private school uniform. And I quit my after school class much to my teacher's dismay, but honestly I don't think the other kids cared. I can finally ear less of..."Twinkle Toes"._

 _Anyway, back to the main stuff. I bought some silver headphones to listen to some songs the group recommended me. Along with that was a black sleeveless belly top with pinkish red frills on the top, which I keep underneath the silver hoodie jacket. Along with that are hot neon pink jeans with a pair of silver laced trainers. I was currently leaning back on the brick wall spectating the dancers as I was having my drink when a familiar face from the arcade came to me._

 ** _"Yo, B! The next dance off's comin' up. You wanna join?"_** _he offered me._

 _ **"Thanks for the offering, Shouji. But it's only been a week since I've started to learn this type of dancing. And I'd like to look at others dancing to see new moves."** I declined, kindly as well as uncertain._

 _ **"You're gonna sit out? Girl, you picked up moves faster than any guy's ever done. You gotta gift granted to ya for this kinda stuff."** he praised, to which I highly disagreed on._

 **"I don't believe fate bestowed me as a gift..."** I doubted, _looking at my own feet instead of at him, **"Besides, it's not like I'm going to be granted a chance..."**_

 _I silenced my own words when my ears began to pick up the sound of some kind of motor engine, which seemed to become louder each second. Since I've been around with the dancers for a week, they already knew about my hearing and I've proved it to them many times from their footsteps to what someone said behind my back._

 **"It sounds like we're getting some loud company..."** _I predicted, to which I was right the moment I saw them._

 _Throughout the whole week I've been on the streets, I had already heard of the well known biker gang from all around Japan: The Crazy Diamonds. They practically owned the streets at night and were viewed as delinquents by society. They looked like they came out of a street brawl. Yes I'm also aware of street brawls, but this is like a safe haven where I am. Nobody was here to fight, but to dance. But I hoped the dancers and even me get a pass because we came to have some fun and not take over._

The gang's bikes pulled over to the side and those who didn't dance or took a break just stared as the gang made their way to where we all were. They were all wearing their signature white jackets with the symbol of their gang on the back of them and walking close together, but not taking over their leader, who had a black pompadour and his second in command with a brown and longer pompadour, who stood side by side each other, showing that they were brothers.

 **"Hey, Shouji...Do they come by here often?"** _I asked him curiously._

 ** _"Usually. But I'm gettin' a bad feeling, B. They look like they're after someone. Could be someone did somethin' against 'em or who's allied with em..."_** _Shouji informed me._

 **"Yo. Anyone here who's goin' by the letter "B"?"** The guy with a brown long pompadour asked.

 _Oh no...They're looking for me. What did I do wrong? I didn't mean to mess up someone's live...I never meant to mess up anyone's life! Maybe I should run before... No. No this is one of the reasons I took dancing. To move my feet like I'm running, but stand my ground at the same time. I didn't even notice the beat was lowered by the person on the mic, who was about to announce the next dance off until The Crazy Diamonds made their entrance. Everyone turned their heads towards me and Shouji, stepping back to make a pathway between us and them. I saw the Diamond Brothers make their way towards us, and to me it looked like they were targeting Shouji. Just to prevent a misunderstanding, I took my steps towards them._

 _ **"Yeah. That would be me. Why are you asking?"** I questioned, curious to the fact it was the first thing they asked._

It seemed like surprise was evident on the biker's faces. Well, other than the black haired Diamond brother who seemed interested in what was going on before him and his brother.

 **"Heh...never thought a chick of all things would be makin' waves 'round here."** the younger brother admitted.

 **"Is that judgement? Well, compared to your two's years of progress a week must be little value to you. And I don't make waves, since I don't even go with the flow. I thought your gangs are diamonds, not lapis lazuli. Is that why you're Crazy instead of Flawless?"** I responded, to the point that me questions of interest unknowingly to me became comebacks.

It finally occurred to me when the crowd made a similar sound to when I defeated a male on DDR and said something about his ego. Even though they thought the comeback was priceless, supported by the looks of the biker members faces they were scared for me as well. It's like...I could hear their hearts telling me to stop or step back. But I couldn't...I refused. So I could only look straight at The Diamond Bros, preparing for their own reactions. To my surprise, the leader was grinning at me and stepping towards me.

 **"You gotta lot of guts usin' that sass to our faces. I knew there somethin' more about ya than your moves, kid!"** the older brother laughed, **"My bro and I are just impressed with what we've been hearin' the past week."**

 **"Well...I appreciate the honesty, sir."** I complimented, showing genuine relief to both brothers.

 **"C'mon, there's no need to act formal. We all came here to have some fun! Right, boys?"** the older brother called out to his gang to which they responded positively.

 ** _"But don't I need any atonement? Was that the only reason you mentioned me just to know you were looking for?"_** _I questioned._

 **"To answer ya question, we did wanna see whatcha got, since we heard you wrecked that dude pretty hard in the arcade."** the younger brother explained.

 _Ah. So they did know about me from that event._

 **"...You all did make your entrances before the next dance off."** I recalled.

 _The host seemed to caught on with what I just said and instantly began speak on the mic what's going to go down He declared the dance off is about to begin and that I will be dancing. The current participants made their way on the dance floor with me and we all took our sides but all of us made sure the Crazy Diamonds could see me._

When the music began to play, there was a build up to which we took time to pretend to wipe our hoodies and etc. And when the real beat was in place each of the dancers started busting their moves one by one. It was quite various with each moves I've seen and mastered as well as seeing unique moves that included spinning around on their heads. And once it eventually became my turn, I let myself loose, even strutting towards the gang. My head moved down to my feet as the beat began to descend, but my chest pulsated forward in time like a heartbeat and when the bass dropped...I became alive.

My feet started running on the spot in a circle before my body did a wave on the ground by dropping front first with my hands supporting me, before I brought my feet forward and after they twisted and crossed the floor a few times, I suddenly found myself doing pinwheels. I had already learned the moves I was doing, but it was the accurate routine that I was doing. I stopped once there were gunshots heard that was according to the beat and I went low to the floor, with my legs bent and my upper body on the ground. And then using my legs simultaneously I jumped back up. Everybody by then was cheering. Even the bikers gave me wolf whistles as they clapped with the Diamond Brothers.

 **"Looks like we got an unanimous vote for the new kid on the block. Give it up for "B" who's puttin' the B in BEATS!"** the announcer revealed, earning me another around of applause from the crowd.

 **"Damn, kid! I gotta admit that's some pretty sick moves you got goin' on! I knew comin' here was worth it."** the older brother praised.

 **"Damn straight! She's cut out for this kinda stuff!"** the younger brother agreed.

 **"Thanks, guys! I was a blast for my first!"** I responded, speaking more confident from the aftermath of the dance due to the lingering adrenaline,

 ** _"Hey, I didn't get your names from you. What are they?"_**

"The name's Daiya Oowada,"

 _Daiya, who was the older brother introduced,_ _ **"And this is my little bro, Mondo!"  
**_

 _I took both of their hands and started shaking them._

 **"Daiya and Mondo. It's nice to meet you two in person!"** I replied, ** _"They call me..."_**

* * *

"HEEEY!"

Snapped of my own thoughts, even screaming myself and holding my now ringing ears before looking around frantically. I was confused of where I was until it came to me that I was trapped in Hope's Peak by a psycho bear and I was talking to...Mondo. Turning towards him now that my ears stopped ringing from unexpected shouting from him, I looked to see the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader have a face of concern.

"Oh! My bad, pomp! I spaced out!" I answered, rubbing the back of my head with a laugh before drinking my tea.

"Jesus...Could ya warn me next time? You nearly scared the shit out of me." said Mondo.

"If I saw that look of me in a mirror...I'd punch it." I admitted, clenching my fists "Well that aside...Let's finish up our drink!"

* * *

After we finished up as well as giving him some roller slippers, we reluctantly parted ways again, only this time it seemed to me that we both were. Honestly, this...was weird. It wasn't just the fact I've become a hostage in the school I was scouted for to try and convince me to kill another. Even in a situation like this, I'd be as optimistic as Hina and try to at least get along with everyone as they are my classmates, but...The moment I saw Mondo it made me more concerned for him than anyone else. Well, besides Chihiro...Speaking of which, I should check up on her now that I've now just arrived at her door.

Ringing the doorbell of her room I waited to see if she was in while I tapped my feet. A few moments later she opened the door and we saw each other. While I was smiling, Chihiro looked a little...irritated with her hand rubbing over the other a little. She must be in pain since I saw her having a few tears on her lashes.

"Hey, Chibi! You doin' alright?" I asked her.

"No...it hurts..." Chihiro answered.

"What does? Here, lemme get a look at it." I offered, leaning down on my knee so I could look straight at her hand.

Looking like she trusts me, Chihiro stretched out her hand and revealed a huge red bump on her pale skin. I was surprised to say the least. How could that happen to someone like her? I could've told brought her to the nurse's office, but that was out of bounds. Telling her to wait there, I dashed to my room to grab two things, before returning to her.

"Do ya mind if I enter? We're gonna need a sink for soap water." I asked.

"No, I don't mind...Come in." Chihiro allowed, letting me walk into her room so we could use her bathroom. Walking inside, I started filling up the sink with water and with the soap being added we started making the soap water foamy. While I told her to let her hand rest in the water for about 5 minutes I asked her how the bump got on her hand and it was revealed to have been...a mosquito bite?

"Damn, those bites are always a pain. Must've gotten its fill while you were snoozin'." I figured.

"Oh, no. I was awake, actually." corrected Chihiro.

"And ya didn't notice it?" I added, wanting to know more.

"No, I noticed. But...Well, I felt it bite me, and I looked down at it. But I didn't do anything. I just sat there and watched it suck my blood..." she answered, which caused me to open my mouth in surprise.

"What?! Chibi, did ya not know the risks?! Why didn't ya shake it off or smack it?!" I exclaimed.

"Cuz...that would've killed it, right?" The Ultimate Programmer responded, "It must have been really hungry to suck that much blood.  
If it was that hungry, it would've been really sad not to let it have anything."

"True, b-but. What if it becomes more than just a bite?! It coulda endangered your life!"

"Mosquitos are living things too, though. It might have its own mosquito family...S-Sorry, I know that's dumb..." Chihiro apologized.

"...Nah, its my bad. Shows how much ya care about life. I jus' got paranoid because..." I trailed off a little.

"Because...?" Chihiro repeated.

"Well...I once knew this little girl who's momma dressed her like a doll. And would get pretty pissed if anthin' ruined her. Even if it was just a scratch, she'd get triggered. When we started hangin' out, it was most fun I had in a long while. But when she got bit my a bug, I got blamed for it and...I gained and lost her in just one day." I explained, letting out a sigh as I closed my eyes.

"Oh...I see. Wait, you said you not only gained her, but you also lost her in one day. What do you mean?" Chihiro pointed out.

"...Let's leave it at the fact that day was the first day I saw her in the flesh and losin' her was the trust." I concluded.

By that time I had the bindings that I got from the MonoMono Machine and had cut them up using the scissors from my sewing kit that Monokuma distributed. I had gotten some aloe vera from my bathroom to soothe the bite and bring down the swelling. placing a dab on her swollen skin, I got to work on wrapping up her hand, but unlike myself I made sure it wasn't too tight by trusting her word.

"Here ya go! This'll hold up until Tedbot gets that room open." I informed.

"Wow! It doesn't itch as much anymore! Thanks, Rizumu! Where did you learn how to do first aid?" Chihiro asked.

"Well, It ain't like that. I thought mosquito bites were similar to pin prick rashes, so I used a trick to...Wait, I just said I wanted to leave it!" I realized, "Chihiro!"

"I-I'm sorry, Rizumu!" she apologized to me, looking a little sad.

"...Haha! Relax! I was just messin' with ya. But I did learn to know a few tips from one of my peeps from The Graffiti Streakerz. She was recovering from somethin' in her life." I explained.

Chihiro nodded in understanding, but when she looked down at her hand, she thought of something.

"But anyway, don't you think it's kinda strange?" Chihiro questioned.

"About what?" I answered.

"Well this school is completely sealed off, right? So how'd a mosquito get in? Maybe there's somewhere here in the school where bugs can live and grow. Some kind of...nature-y spot. Or or or! Maybe there's a secret passage somewhere that leads out of the school!"

"Yeah, I get what ya thinkin'! That bite might actually be tellin' us all something!" I agreed, "Even if it's still sealed off by Monokuma, if we keep pushin' forward with teamwork, we can get outta this dump!"

"You're right! Working together is super important... Of course, I dunno how I can be useful. I'll probably just weigh you all down..." Chihiro sighed out, feeling a little let down.

"Ay! Don't get all pouty, Chibi! You being and that determined to help lifts me right up in the mood!" I assured her.

"It does? Really...?" Chihiro reacted with a bit of surprise.

"For real! Now chin up before I resort to ticklin'!" I joked,

"O-Okay! Eheh... Thank you, Rizumu." Chihiro giggled.

"No prob!" I told her, moving to pull the plug in the sink and open the door. I faltered just a little bit because I noticed Chihiro's bathroom door...doesn't have a lock on it. t made me wonder just a little bit if she also wondered why I had sewing scissors. Still, I'll give Chihiro the benefit of the doubt for now as Makoto told me about how his door didn't fit, so that could be a mix-up as well.

* * *

Saying goodbye to Chihiro, I went back to my room to place the things I brought back where I found them and clean my hands.

And then it was heard again...the school announcement.

 ** _*Ding dong, bing bong*  
_** ** _Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially "nighttime". Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay, then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...  
_**  
I'm definitely growing to detest those announcements from that bear...No. I've already had the moment it locked us all in here. But I can't let that get to me every time. Putting on my pyjamas and climbing into bed, I closed my eyes while listening to the beats from my headphones and let sleep overtake my consciousness.


End file.
